OK, I need a little help here. I've got a 1982 Stepside with the slant in it. When I got the truck the engine was almost a basket case (wasp nest inside the thermostat housing, no air cleaner, radiator, alternator or distributor, etc) since the previous owner planned to junk it and put in a v-8. Anyway, he had most of the accesories removed and most were long gone - including the oil dipstick and tube. I went to my local dealer to get a replacement stick and tube and he tells me the tube should press into the block. However, there's a hole/tube running into the side of my oil pan (tube does not extend out from the pan, just goes inside about 6-7 inches - looks factory really). It's been a long time since I played with a slant (about 13 years or so) and I can't recall exactly how/where the dip stick should go and I haven't seem a real good picture yet in any of my books or manuals. I'm thinking the tube goes into the hole in the oil pan, but I'm not real sure. And if it does, is that supposed to be a press fit or is there an o-ring that needs to go there as well?
Can anybody offer some hints here? Some pictures of 80's truck slants showing the oil dip stick location would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
John

Here are the best pictures I have of my '87 block with a stock pan & tube. Headers mostly obscure the oil pan entry ing the first picture, and the engine mount bracket obscures it in the second. But, the tube has a plate brazed onto it and is riveted to the pan. IIRC it is brazed around the inside as well. The tube does not come out of the pan without drilling the rivets and braking the brazing.

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The "Silver Bullet"
87 Ram D150

OK, so the tube does go in the side of the oil pan. I do have that plate brazed to the pan like you say, but the tube stops at the outside of the pan. The replacement tube I got from the dealer looks similar to one that's a press fit for a small block, but has an additioanl tab tacked to it like it's supposed to get bolted somewhere on the engine to help stabilize the tube. I'll have to take some pics this evening after work when I get home. If they did get me the wrong one, there won't be any problem taking it back.

You have a car dipstick for an A/C car. The tab bolts to the intake on the throttle linkage bracket.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Hmm, the part number I received was 4117672. While this truck doesn't currently have a/c, it will when I get done with it. Got a replacement cab out of Iowa that has a/c and solid floors - my truck currently has neither.

The tube does not project into the pan on mine. It ends at the pan.

The reason my tube is so long is my truck was originally equipped with AC. The tube snaked all the way up right next to the AC compressor. The tab on the tube bolts to the engine mount bracket.

-S/6

Does anybody have an idea what the proper part numbers should be for this?

I will look in my FSM when I get home and see if it lists a PN.


Edit: Sorry, my FSM does not list a part number for the oil dipstick tube.