Has anyone ever found a good way to ship an oil pan? I have one that needs to be shipped to a shop to be straightened, but after packaging it so it can travel safely it's so bulky that it would be cheaper to but it round trip airline ticket than to send it UPS.
Try truck freight or shipping by bus. I've shipped motorcycle frames by bus (Greyhound). If it fits in the luggage compartment they will take it.
the county airport were I use to work is also the Greyhound bus stop. Saw a lot of big packages sent thru them. And I mean Big packages.
I sent fenders wrapped together and padded, to Fla by bus. Took 1/2 hour each way to get to station.
Check USPS. I have found that on bulky items they are willing to ship, they can be half of what UPS or FedEx charges. Just take the package to them for an estimate. My local PO is always happy to do that so I can compare shipping charges.
Fedex ground is the cheapiest way. It takes one heck of a box for a pan.
I have shipped several pans by attaching a thin piece of board to the pan with label & sent UPS.
The pan needs to be totally free of any oil or grease to avoid a fine, if DOT inspects the shipping vehicle.
Hi: I have shipped lots of bulky items by wrapping the item in saran wrap. Just stick a address label to the pan (in case they damage outside label) and then wrap well with the saran wrap. Use duct tape or cardboard on sharp edges. Then put the main shipping label on outside. I use my wifes box of wrap she keeps in the kitchen. Don't tell her. I think I've convinced her the rolls are not as big as they used to be. Like stated above the US Post Office is cheaper a lot of the times than UPS. The reason for doing it this way is it saves on weight and size. Sometimes it is enough to save a "oversize" fee.
I've shipped a few pans by Fed Ex and the cost wasn't bad. I crated them in a frame made of 2 x 2s with plywood on the ends for protection. I certainly wouldn't want a straightened pan to be shipped back to me without a crate.
I bought one and had it shipped from CA to TX. If I remember correctly, the seller/shipper had it shipped by either FedEx or USPS. Either way, I think it came in a cardboard box, but I could be mistaken. Have you exhausted all efforts to find a pan jig within driving distance?
I think Terry may be on the right track there. It's my impression that Michigan is a hotbed of Model T activity. There should be somebody with a jig close enough to avoid shipping.
I also would have thought that there would be someone here in Michigan, northern Indian or Ohio, but the closest I've found is 180 miles away. If anybody knows someone in that area that can straighten a pan I'd be tickled pink to hear about them.
Craig, the other T club (MTFCI) is centered in, and was founded in, Michigan. Contact one of the following members and ask for help or a recommendation: Eric Macleod, Kalamazoo, (269)420-3852; Jack Zimmer, St. Claire, (810)329-3301; John Williams, Lawton, (269)423-8905; Ed Walla, Washington, (568)752-4617; or Mark Eyre, Battle Creek, (269)963-4617. Jack restores T's for a living and Mark was the former Tsch Editor for the Model T Times magazine. They should be able to help you.
Gee, I didn't know the MTFCI was founded in Michigan, I thought it was Chicago.
OK, in Obama's hood. LOL
I had to ship an Alfa Romeo motor from NY to Cali.
Since I didn't have a clue what to do I took it to work and asked the guys to help.
They smiled and said EeeeeZZZZZZZeeeee!
A few hours later I found them putting it in a cardboard barrel with lots of packing material.
The guy at the other end called me and he said that was the best packing job he had ever seen.
A few months later the same guy bought a 5-speed Alfa transmission from me and he asked that I ship it in a barrel.
I think he was collecting barrels!
EZ, if you have access to cardboard barrels.
I built a sturdy wooden crate and bolted my pan securely into it to send to George King III (www.enginerestoration.com) for him to straighten on his KW jig. He used the same crate to bolt the pan into so as to send it back to me and the sturdy crate served to protect the newly aligned pan from damage and also kept it straight and square. It is worth the extra expense in case it suffers from careless handling or is dropped along the way or something heavy it loaded on top of it. Jim Patrick
Some shippers, like UPS, charge EXTRA for a wooden container. If you use wood, put cardboard on the outside so they won't see it.
OK I figured it out -
The Cali guy was collecting barrels and the NY guys were trying to rid of them!
The way they used to come in here by U.P.S. was very clean and sand blasted, with a tag that had to be put on very sturdy.
Never in a box or crate, just bare pan.
Herm.
Also no pet-cocks, inspection plate, and no hand crank.