DRY-SUMP OIL TANK
Tim and Mark ordered a new replacement tank from Peterson. It’s the same size, just brand new with a more efficient heating element inside. Tim and Mark worked together to install the tank with some new mounting straps. After the tank was installed and plumbed, the heating element had to be wired. The heating element receptacle was mounted in the trunk, where an A/C extension cord from a portable generator was plugged in to heat the oil to operating temperature. Dave and Mark fabricated a closeout panel to fit around the base of the tank to keep debris out of the trunk area. The guys also went one step further and installed a rubber weatherstrip (not shown) to seal the tank to the closeout panel.
Originally, Bill Osborne strategically placed the dry-sump tank in the trunk to offset the weight on the nose of the car. That’s still the typical Road Race setup. In the past, the crew had deviated from that setup for Land Speed/Top Speed events and put a smaller dry-sump tank in the driver’s side front fender. After the current rebuild, the plan was to always keep the dry-sump tank in the trunk, no matter what the car setup. With the tank in the trunk and all of the plumbing involved, the
system holds 20 quarts of oil. As much equipment on Big Red that’s changed over the years, one of the parts on the car with the most longevity has been the Peterson Fluid Systems dry-sump oil tank. The one shown with the orange heating pad on the side is the original tank from 1988. During the first rebuild, the guys weren’t happy with the old mounts, so they built all-new mounting tabs (shown only tacked in place) to mount the tank solidly to the rear frame and cage.
