peecher Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 (edited) A fairly easy way to equip a V12 with a dip stick without removing the pan or anything except the drain plug is to utilize the drain plug. An aftermarket 24" universal dip stick and tube ($15 JEGS) and a 1/4" M/F close brass pipe elbow. The after market dip stick comes with a fitting to secure to the elbow. The drain plug has to be drilled and tapped (1/4" pipe) to accept the elbow. The dip stick tube needs to be bent slightly to clear the starter and come up to the right front of the engine clearing the exhaust pipe and exhaust manifold. They supply a brace with the tube and it can attach to one of the exhaust manifold bolts. The 3/8" dip stick tube attaches to the supplied fitting with a nut and ferrule. To drain oil all you need to do is remove the tube from the fitting. When installing all this you first tighten the drain plug then screw in the elbow to the right angle. Bend the dip stick tube a little, about 6" from the end to bring it up along side the exhaust manifold so that you can attach the brace. I just finished making one of these set ups to install on my '48 with the modified engine. I think a bit of Loctite on the pipe threads between the elbow and drain plug would be a good idea after the "angle" is set. After installation you can add 4 quarts of oil, mark the dip stick and then add the 5th quart and mark the dip stick. The marks will be further up the stick( than the original marks supplied) and you may want to trim off some of the excess below the 4 quart mark. I've taken pictures of this set up but I'm not sure I can get them posted. Edited August 13, 2013 by peecher additional (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beltfed Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 Please email me your pics as I'm having a devil of a time getting the cross over flange nuts off. If I break off a stud I'm gonna blow a fuse and throw something. Email: kennardb@knology.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peecher Posted August 13, 2013 Author Share Posted August 13, 2013 Will Do, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peecher Posted August 13, 2013 Author Share Posted August 13, 2013 Dip stick pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 65Starfire Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 That is a slick setup. And you can easily reverse it later if you wanted to show the car.Very cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mssr. Bwatoe Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Sooooooo, The hydraulic effect allows oil to rise in the stick to the point of the fill in the pan, then the stick lowers to that point...I have had pretty good luck with the bobber in the pan..but ..D'ohhh I forgot to put it in when replacing the pump and inspecting crank in Mr Zeffer's 38 Flagship..this is a clever idea.. I usually open plug on filter cannister to chk oil condition and look for evil juices that may have entered my world (leaky headgasket). I was amazed to find coolant come out of this port one time...not creamy oil, but nice clean coolant...I use full synthetic and am under the impression that it is more resistant to blending than mineral oil?? ( not to hijack this thread) I have been using full syn in all systems, changing rarely..but looking closely at what comes out..so far so good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cokekid Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 I was thinking about installing a oil dip stick and came upon this post. I was wondering were the 24" aftermarket universal dip stick can be ordered from. Gerry ' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19tom40 Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 That system may work OK for some, but all I can think of is the mess that will occur when you remove the dipstick tube from the drain plug. The fitting that is left on the drain plug will direct the oil to the passenger side of the car instead of letting the oil drain directly below the plug or slightly to the rear of the car. The bobber system should work well if installed correctly and changing the oil regularly will allow you to monitor the condition of the oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cokekid Posted July 14, 2021 Share Posted July 14, 2021 Tom O.D I had just decided to try and turn the engine over and when I did there was a sound coming from some were. I did it three tines and after that I walked around to see if anything was loose and maybe something being hit by the fan. I then found the oil float rod was leaning to one side. This led me to believe that some how it got hit by the crank as it was turning. I was thinking if I have to remove the pan for further inspections I will not be reinstalling this float.. I am going to either try this option listed above or maybe install a dip stick welded on the side of the pan. Let you know what happens Gerry . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cokekid Posted July 15, 2021 Share Posted July 15, 2021 I was wondering if anyone has installed a dip stick on the side of the pan.? I would be interested in how long of a stick I would need and at what angle it has to be set. Gerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19tom40 Posted July 15, 2021 Share Posted July 15, 2021 I have no idea of where to install a dipstick on the pan of a V-12, but I think that I would start with the boss and tube for a V-8. They are available from most suppliers of Ford parts. The area where the bobber lives, might be a good place to start. I still believe that the bobber is the best solution for the V-12. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cokekid Posted July 18, 2021 Share Posted July 18, 2021 I straightened the float rod and when I turn the engine over there is no noise. I will leave everything as it is for now. Gerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdan34 Posted July 20, 2021 Share Posted July 20, 2021 These are some pics of the '39 L.Z Coupe I'm building. The dipstick tube is early Ford v8 and Chevy six pan breather also full flow oil filter. All these were done with engine out. The angle of dipstick had to be changed to fit with exhaust and steering column. When full of oil it's pretty close to the right level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cokekid Posted July 20, 2021 Share Posted July 20, 2021 cdan34 Looks good, I wish that I would have done this to mine when the engine was out. Gerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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