help! I cant check my oil!

[Stumpuller]

hey guys and gals. Ive got a bit of a problem with a non-blazer side project of mine.
Ive got an 82 2wd S-10 with a 350/350 turbo combo. its been a bit of a never ending project for the past 4 years. but I want to get it together this summer.
The first engine i had in it was a worn out 80s 350 (from a blazer ) with the dipstick on the passenger side and i used the stock exaust manifolds. It eventually did its best handgrenade impression and had to be pulled. I got another engine from a 71 chevy 3/4 ton and did a quicke on the bottom end just for kicks. its a good strong engine. ... but now with my 80s manifolds the drop on the drivers side is right in front of the dipstick hole on the block deck. ive got a pinched off tube to plug the hole now because i just wanted to get it running. but now i cant check my oil and im very broke these days and it is new exaust so i dont want to chop it for differnt manifolds.

can i weld a tube into the oil pan sump for a dip stick?

any ideas?

 

[K5dreamer]

the dipstick is a pretty flexible peice, its designed to follow the bends and curves in the factory setup, specifically to avoid the exhaust on factory vehicles. so long as you dont make any really sharp crazy turns, and the length of the tube is the same length as a factory one, regardless of how its routed, you should be fine. the key things to make sure that your oil reading is accurate, is to make sure that the angle of entry into the pan is the same, and like i said, the overall length of the tube is the same.

at least, thats my guess, having never had to deal with this situation.

 

[Stumpuller]

Im thinking i can weld the tube in bring it up to about 6 or so inches above the top of the oil pan and trim the dipstick. add 4 quarts make a mark on the stick and then 1 more quart for a full mark. I think it will work.

when a small block chevy has the recomended 5 quarts in it and its at rest does the oil come above the bottom of the block or is it all in the pan?

 

[K5dreamer]

oil should all be in the pan, otherwise your crankshaft would be spinning in it.