The stock Subaru oil pan is of a design that extends beneath the engine by several inches. When installed in the original car configuration it's protected by frame components however when the motor is installed in the Vanagon the pan hangs far below the body. The problem has been attacked in several ways over the years, often by sectioning the Subaru pan and rewelding. While this solves the issue of ground clearance, it also decreases the capacity of the pan and requires careful shortening of the dipstick.
Rocky Mountain Westy was determined to find a solution that addressed the recovery of Vanagon ground clearance without sacrificing oil capacity. What we came up with was unique in the industry. Our shortened oil pan maintains stock ground clearance while maintaining a full 5-qt. capacity. We include a pre-calibrated and shortened dipstick tube and dipstick. The dipstick is relocated behind the rear license plate for convenient oil checks.