[bruce reno]

Hi, I have a 72 Nova with a 383 stroker and 350 trans. My oil pan gasket is leaking and needs to be replaced. My question is how hard is it to remove the oil pan with the engine in the car ?I have read that I can jack up the motor and put blocks between the motor mounts and turn the engine to number 6 firing. I guess that is to get the counterweights on the crank up. I know I will have to pull the distributor . Would I have to unbolt the trans also. I know it would be better to pull the engine but I don't want to do that in my driveway . Any details would be appreciated ! Thanks, Bruce Reno P.S. It's hot as hell in Texas right now !

[brian oneil]

Here are some things that come to mind besides what you have already mentioned, The type of oil pan you have, the deeper it is the longer the oil pump pickup tube. If you are planning on replacing the oil pan gasket with a two piece design then you will only really need to drop the pan about 2 inches. If you currently run a two piece design and gasket sealer was used, scraping off the old pan gasket could be an issue as pieces of debris may end up in your pan. Cleaning that out may pose a problem with not having the pan in hand as if you pulled the engine. Anything left in the pan could easily clog the pickup tube starving the engine of oil and we all know what will occur. Staying with the two piece design cleaning all the mating surfaces for the new pan seals and gasket might be a problem with only two inches but can be done.
If you want a one piece design you may need to have a little bit more clearance to get the one piece in place but once in place it would be simpler to reassemble. You would need the rear part of the one piece to go under and around the pickup tube. Might be hard to do if you cant get your hand in the pan to guide that end of the gasket under the pickup tube. Some might say just remove the pickup tube and reinstall it. You could if it weren't tacked or welded to the pump. The next issue would be putting it back on and have the proper clearance to the pan bottom. Remove the dipstick tube though so you dont have that interference in the pan area. No matter how careful you are, you are going to get oil in your driveway if that is what you are worried about.
Personally, if this engine has some miles on it, I would just pull it if you have the time. At least you can inspect the internals and I would personally at this point replace the oil pump unless you have a high $$ pump.

[bruce reno]

Hey, Thanks for the response. I am using a one piece gasket. This is a crate motor and that is what is on it. There's not that many miles on it so that is not a worry. Oil on my drive way is not the problem, it's just too damn hot out there ! Ha,ha,ha ! No shade. Thanks again for the info. Bruce Reno

[brian oneil]

Believe me, it is just as hot here

[NovaSS427]

This link shows how much (little) clearance there is without lifting the engine at all. Skip to 2:50.

How Not to Drag Race! 72 Nova Part 2 - Not Rod Episode 2 - YouTube

How Not to Drag Race! 72 Nova Part 2 - Not Rod Episode 2 - YouTube