Alright, you got me. The #3 tube is only about a 1/4" off the pan on my car. Kinda looks like more than that, but a 1/4" drive extension won't fit between the pan and the header so it's less than .315"(diameter of the extension). Looks like the part of the pan closest to the header should be the same as a standard pan too.
#3 header tube looking back toward the starter
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#3 looking forward from the tight spot
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#3 and the starter terminals. Main connections are on top of the block at the top of the picture. Lower wire is undamaged after ~20k miles, has a good 1/2" of clearance to #3.
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