Why is it so hard to get good advice !!???
Yesterday I pulled the oil pan. I'd been using a chrome pan since I first installed the engine in 2004. It has weeped oil since day one, along with the chrome timing cover. I pulled the MP steel windage tray too, then cleaned the block of all gasket residue. The Milodon 6 quart pan was supposed to be matched with the Milodons oil pickup, so I screwed it in. The Jegs plastic windage tray I bought uses no gaskets. It has thin rubber strips that seal like the plastic 727 transmission pan gaskets that have been out for awhile.
Well.....The Jegs tray wouldn't clear the pickup without trimming, then it wouldn't sit flat against the block. The tray hits the rod caps! For some stupid reason, the dish in the tray is offset about 1/4" to the left, causing it to hit. The right side clears fine. If I shift the tray over to the left about 1/2" , it clears both sides fine but obviously will not bolt up since the gasket rail is offset by the same 1/2". YES, I made sure to order the one for the 4.15 stroke. Maybe they shipped me the wrong one? Maybe it was simply made wrong? I was pissed.
I cleaned up the steel tray, but the dang thing got bent TWICE while cleaning it with the wire wheel. I did some "body and fender" work to straighten it, but I'm not feeling 100% confident that it will seal perfectly. I know that it gets sandwiched and held in place by the oil pan bolts, so it will probably be just fine.
If the Jegs pan they shipped turns out to be the wrong one, I may wait to get the right one before putting the pan back on.