oil pan gasket

[72swingerwoman]

i need to replace my oil pan gasket which should be a simple task, but i have a protective metal shroud that is right under the pan that is welded onto the frame. there is a whole cut out for the shape of the pan, but i cant get to the bolts, that are not tight either, i tried to get them tight but no matter where i try to get to them i just cant get any type of tool on them god enough to get them tight.
i really didnt want to pull the engine out until i was ready for body work and paint.. is there a way to maybe just jack the motor up with out having to take it all the way out? and how does one do that. never done that .. taken motors out before, i just dont feel like doing that if i dont have to! can i just undo motor mounts and jack, or do i have to worry of tranny also?

previous owners i guess didnt believe in tightening anything down, that they worked on!

 

[RedFish]

Sure you can seperate the motor supports and jack the engine up. The exhaust system wont let some of them go very far unless unbolted also.
Dont want to crack a manifold anyway.
The only things to watch closely are distributer against firewall and fan into radiater shroud.

 

[fishy68]

If they have welded an extra plate/shroud over the oil pan even jacking the engine up won't let you get the pan out most likely. Sounds like your either going to have to cut off the plate they welded on to get the pan off on the car or yank the engine. I can tell you changing the oil pan gasket can be done in the car but it's not easy at all. Of course with the engine out and turned upside down it a breeze.

Did you try a long 1/4" drive wobble extension with the appropriate socket. Wobble extensions make getting into hard areas a lot easier. They can be bought at Sears.

 

[72swingerwoman]

ive tried to get sockets on the bolts, but there are to many hard lined hoses to get to them.. i probley could do get to them if i had a third hand to pry the hoses away from the pan so i could almost get to the nuts, and i wish i new more about the car.. is this pain in the butt shroud was factory or if one of the owners put it on.. i would have to say a fabrication job.. but then again it looks like it could be a factory thing... i will go look into the wobble socket item you were talking of and see if that will help, thanks for the advice.

 

[RedFish]

Just seperate the motor supports, jack the engine up and place a block between them. You'll need the extra space to get the pan out anyway.