Oil System - Pans, Pumps & Coolers
Engine Oil System - Pans, Pumps, Coolers & Filtration
The engine oiling system is your engine's lifeblood — ensuring every bearing, camshaft lobe, lifter, and moving surface receives adequate lubrication under all operating conditions. A well-designed oiling system maintains pressure and flow during hard acceleration, high-speed cornering, and extended high-RPM operation where oil starvation would otherwise cause catastrophic bearing failure. Getting the oiling system right is one of the most important — and often underappreciated — aspects of building a reliable performance engine.
With 175 oil system products from specialists including ARP, Holley, Earl's, and Weiand, alongside specialist equipment from Canton Racing, Billy's Speed Shop has the components to build a comprehensive oiling system appropriate to any application.
Oil Pans - Capacity, Baffling, and Clearance
The factory oil pan on most performance engine applications is designed around the constraints of the original vehicle installation — it may lack the capacity, baffling, and pickup tube geometry required for performance use. Under hard acceleration, braking, and cornering, oil surges within the pan can uncover the pickup tube, causing momentary oil pressure drops that, at high RPM, can result in bearing damage in less time than it takes to react.
Aftermarket oil pans for LS, SBC, and BBC applications address these limitations with increased oil capacity, built-in baffling and trap doors that keep oil around the pickup tube under all conditions, and in many cases revised sump configurations that clear chassis components in swap applications where the factory pan would make contact. For dedicated track and race applications, dry-sump provisions allow the fitment of an external oil tank and high-flow pump that eliminates oil starvation completely - the ultimate solution for circuit racing and extended high-performance use.
Oil Pumps - Flow and Pressure for Performance
The oil pump is responsible for maintaining pressure throughout the system - and a quality pump matched to your engine's requirements is essential, particularly as power levels increase and bearing clearances become tighter. High-volume pumps increase flow capacity without necessarily increasing pressure, which is the appropriate specification for most performance street engines. High-pressure pumps increase system pressure and are typically used in applications with tighter bearing clearances or where extended high-RPM operation requires additional pressure to maintain film thickness at critical surfaces.
Accusump - Pressure on Demand
An Accusump oil accumulator is one of the most effective and affordable insurance policies for a performance engine used on track. This pressure vessel pre-charges the oiling system before startup - eliminating the dry start that occurs even with a high-quality pump - and releases stored oil instantly during any momentary pressure drop caused by oil starvation under cornering loads. For track day cars and circuit racers, an Accusump is a sensible investment that can prevent expensive engine damage during the type of extended high-load cornering that exposes the limitations of standard wet-sump oiling systems.
Oil Coolers, Filters, and Ancillaries
Sustained high-performance operation generates significant heat in the engine oil. Oil temperature above approximately 120°C begins to break down the oil's lubricating properties, and in track applications without an oil cooler, temperatures can easily exceed safe limits. Our oil cooler range includes remote-mount plate and tube coolers with associated adapters, fittings, and mounting hardware to integrate a cooling circuit into your oiling system cleanly and reliably.
