The 'E' Type Forum

I have been looking for a good condition 3.8 smooth sump.
No luck so far as the ones I can find have all been repaired and don't look very nice.
SC Parts can get one made to order, takes 6 weeks.
Has anybody got any experience of the reproduction SC Parts smooth sump.
Thanks
Mont

I have just received a new 3.8 smooth sump from SC Parts.
Ordered and delivered in 2 weeks so very happy.

It looks to me like you have bought one with the bottom drain which you mentioned earlier was very vulnerable due to the low clearance on our cars. Will it fit your car as I cannot see any clearance for the torque reaction plate at the rear. Was it at a bargain price, I guess not?

The sump is a brand new smooth 3.8 sump exactly the same specifications as the original in 1961.
I’m into a nut and bolt restoration trying to keep it looking as original as possible.
It was not cheap but it’s the only way I could get a perfect non repaired welded sump.
I will sell my old one it doesn’t leak but it has been repaired, also doesn't look that good.

That sump is for a J60 military engine, the rear half of it is slightly angled to allow the drain point to work. If you weld up the current drain hole and weld in a threaded boss at the rear to mimic an original 3.8 sump it won’t drain all the engine oil.

The E type baffle will need modifying as it fouls the bottom of the sump at the rear

The rear seal area looks different to what I would expect. The 3.8 seal was a single smooth area - unlike the later different diameter 4.2 sump with has the seal set into a groove.
The sump supplied appears in the photo to have an additional “step” machined in towards the inside of the sump. Either way, the sealing of the rear sump will need to match the crank bearing housing diameter to which the sump seals against.
The photo below in this previous post shows the difference between the 3.8 and 4.2 sumps in my post #4, but more importantly, the single rear seal area. The post #3 may be of interest where Andrew states he had been sent a military sump, but it had been machined to mimic a 3.8 sump, plus the consequential issues he was trying to resolve. This would explain the machined profiles in that area on your sump.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10102&p=80139#p80139

As the item would certainly not be cheap, it needs confirmation of these seal areas match your particular crank bearing housing as my photos in post #4 show the differences in the longer 4.2 sump seal area on the bearing housing, compared to the shorter length of the 3.8 sump. Military sumps used to be fairly commonly available from engine builders or online and were distinctive as they tend to be painted military light green.

Regards,
Dave

Steve,
There are some good photos of a 1962 smooth sided sump - and especially rear machined seal area on an original 3.8 sump in post #10 - in Rory’s recent post regarding the issues around getting an effective seal on that area at the rear of the sump.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=21690

Regards,
Dave

I wouldn't believe a single word of anything that SC Parts said to me.

Especially "made to order in 6 weeks".

Made to order, but with drain plug in the wrong position, and rear-seal machining that is not like a 3.8 ?

rfs1957 wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 19, 2025 9:47 am

I wouldn't believe a single word of anything that SC Parts said to me.

Unfortunately that has been my experience with them as well.

Steve, can you put up some comparison photos with your old sump?

I am on the case with the SC sump, I appreciate all your replies.
I will post the outcome with the sump in due course.
Chris Laker at SC Parts is dealing with the issue.

The sumps come from Croswaite and Gardener. I have purchased one but a ribbed version for a 4.2 restoration I carried out. I see they have this on their website , listed as smooth, but photo shows Ribbed. I would call them. Certainly the example I purchased was superbly manufactured, dispatched in a couple of days and the whole experience was 10 out of 10. Not something I am able to say about the few times I dealt with SC Parts sadly.
https://crosthwaiteandgardiner.com/part ... r/sump-3-8

Still, that smooth sump is not a look alike original 3.8 smooth sump...

My car is A 62 with late October mfg date with orig engine. Drain is on pass side, side of pan, toward rear of pan, rough finish, smooth rear seal surface.