Recognizing that Dart‘s LS Next engine block could very well be the next big thing in LS performance, Canton Racing Products has developed a trio of new oil pans for the hybrid engine platform.

“We have a front sump version, a rear sump road race pan with the diamond-shaped trap door and baffling system, and then we have a street/drag pan with a straight-across trap door system,” says Canton’s Jeff Behuniak.

One of the advantages to the LS Next block is the removal of the deep skirt that General Motors engineered into the LS platform; its removal means much greater oil control, if the pan is set up properly to take advantage of the change. “Dart unskirted the block for a reason, to be able to collect the oil off the crankshaft and let the crank spin freely. We were able to engineer our power pouch into the side of the pan to collect the oil from the side of the crankshaft,” Behuniak explains.

Canton’s design uses plugs in the bottom of the pan to access the pan bolts. A billet rail was not possible to use given the design of the LS Next, so the fabricated design was implemented for a variety of reasons. “You’d have more problems than you’d actually gain in performance if we tried to use the billet rail,” he says.

He mentions that it’s important to use a quality sealer in the areas where the pan meets the block to prevent leaks, as there are many – but the performance the LS Next block has shown is worth the extra work. There are many blind corners that need to be sealed up properly.

The pans are constructed from .100-inch thick TIG-welded aluminum and even offer a provision for a pan-mounted dipstick.