Early 56 oil pan question

[Joe L.]

Re: John

Roy------

This pan was actually the SERVICE pan for E1956 Corvette applications for many years in addition to being the PRODUCTION and SERVICE pan for some MD/HD trucks. For the Corvette application, one just leaves the pipe plug in the fitting and bolts the pan on. No re-work, at all. In fact, the pan John pictured, GM #3794060, was the E1956 Corvette SERVICE pan from June, 1964 through August, 1978.

[Joe L.]

Re: John

Roy------

This pan was actually the SERVICE pan for E1956 Corvette applications for many years in addition to being the PRODUCTION and SERVICE pan for some MD/HD trucks. For the Corvette application, one just leaves the pipe plug in the fitting and bolts the pan on. No re-work, at all. In fact, the pan John pictured, GM #3794060, was the E1956 Corvette SERVICE pan from June, 1964 through August, 1978.

[Roy B.]

Re: Joe

You have such neat info on numbers dates and time line that I find to be a great knowledge , I'm into parts designs like a first second and third design which mean early - mid - and late Corvettes . What I don't know for sure is when they took place on many parts ( Corvette vin #) Do any of your books pertain to that by Corvette number or year ? Or Change ? Are your book original back to the 50's.
I'm not a number guy, don't have many books. Like 55 Corvette many changes took place over the year but at what vin#. That is what many people don't know for sure.
Your a info # nut like I'm a C1 design part nut. So any way you say the truck pan was a later replacement for the early 56 pan that was discontinued ?? Thanks

[Roy B.]

Re: Joe

You have such neat info on numbers dates and time line that I find to be a great knowledge , I'm into parts designs like a first second and third design which mean early - mid - and late Corvettes . What I don't know for sure is when they took place on many parts ( Corvette vin #) Do any of your books pertain to that by Corvette number or year ? Or Change ? Are your book original back to the 50's.
I'm not a number guy, don't have many books. Like 55 Corvette many changes took place over the year but at what vin#. That is what many people don't know for sure.
Your a info # nut like I'm a C1 design part nut. So any way you say the truck pan was a later replacement for the early 56 pan that was discontinued ?? Thanks

[Joe L.]

Re: Joe

Roy-----

I have reference material that goes back to the early 50's. However, it often requires me to use several different sources IN COMBINATION to come up with info on any particular part. I wish it were always as easy as going to a single reference, looking something up and, presto, there it is---everything I ever wanted to know about a particular piece. But, it just doesn't work that way.

As far as WHEN parts changes took place, that can sometimes be determined and sometimes not. It depends on the change. Some types of changes are recorded nowhere since they are non-engineering spec changes. Sometimes, quite often actually, one can determine that a change took place, but exactly what the change was one cannot determine. It just takes information from a COMBINATION of sources, both reference material as well as experiential information. With respect to C1 applications, I can provide only the reference information; my last experiential information on C1's was more than 30 years ago, extremely limited, and I recall very little of that.

I don't know, for sure, if the E1956 Corvette oil pan, as used in PRODUCTION, was ever available in SERVICE. The truck pan may have been used in SERVICE from the start. However, if the E1956 Corvette oil pan was ever available in SERVICE as originally installed in PRODUCTION, I believe it was GM #3727732. In any event, there were several subsequent supercessions including the GM #3794060 which became the E1956 Corvette SERVICE piece in June, 1964, although it was released for the truck application earlier. In August, 1978, the 3794060 was discontinued and replaced by GM #360867. The latter pan is the same as the 3794060 except that it has the 1975+ front seal configuration. It's discontinued now, too.

[Joe L.]

Re: Joe

Roy-----

I have reference material that goes back to the early 50's. However, it often requires me to use several different sources IN COMBINATION to come up with info on any particular part. I wish it were always as easy as going to a single reference, looking something up and, presto, there it is---everything I ever wanted to know about a particular piece. But, it just doesn't work that way.

As far as WHEN parts changes took place, that can sometimes be determined and sometimes not. It depends on the change. Some types of changes are recorded nowhere since they are non-engineering spec changes. Sometimes, quite often actually, one can determine that a change took place, but exactly what the change was one cannot determine. It just takes information from a COMBINATION of sources, both reference material as well as experiential information. With respect to C1 applications, I can provide only the reference information; my last experiential information on C1's was more than 30 years ago, extremely limited, and I recall very little of that.

I don't know, for sure, if the E1956 Corvette oil pan, as used in PRODUCTION, was ever available in SERVICE. The truck pan may have been used in SERVICE from the start. However, if the E1956 Corvette oil pan was ever available in SERVICE as originally installed in PRODUCTION, I believe it was GM #3727732. In any event, there were several subsequent supercessions including the GM #3794060 which became the E1956 Corvette SERVICE piece in June, 1964, although it was released for the truck application earlier. In August, 1978, the 3794060 was discontinued and replaced by GM #360867. The latter pan is the same as the 3794060 except that it has the 1975+ front seal configuration. It's discontinued now, too.