It is a PITA. You need to suppor tthe engine from the top and raise it enough to gain clearance to remove the pan. Much easier with the engine out of the car if you asked me. Might as well replace the oil pump and ARP hardened oil pump shaft. while you are at it.
The one piece gaskets will leak unless you put some Right Stuff in each of the 4 corners of the pan/
It is a PITA. You need to suppor tthe engine from the top and raise it enough to gain clearance to remove the pan. Much easier with the engine out of the car if you asked me. Might as well replace the oil pump and ARP hardened oil pump shaft. while you are at it.
The one piece gaskets will leak unless you put some Right Stuff in each of the 4 corners of the pan/
Been there, done that - You can do it in the car, but it is hard to do. The best way is to pull the engine.
Disconnect the battery at the battery ground terminal, remove the fan and fan shroud. Both motor mounts will need to have the large nuts that secure them to the frame removed. The trans mount will also have to be loosened, and it is a good idea to remove the drive shaft.
I also had to disconnect the cat pipes at the headers to get the engine high enough to remove the oil pan. Be prepared to have to drop the steering rack and disconnect the steering shaft. The flex coupling for the steering shaft needs to be disconnected before you can get the rack out. You should disassemble the coupling by removing the 2 bolts that hold it together Jack up the engine with a wood block under the oil pan and watch for things that bind or hoses/electrical wiring that may need to be disconnected. I put a couple of wood blocks between the headers and the frame to support the engine. You will likely need to jack up the rear of the transmission as well to get the required clearance.
Scrape the pan mating surfaces clean as possible - old gasket stuck to the surfaces are a source of leaks.
Get a high volume/heavy duty pump, and a replacement HD pump shaft.
If anybody tells you some fable about a high volume pump being a bad thing, see http://www.mellingengine.com/Portals/5/pdf/pdf_catalog/high-volume-pumps.pdf. The bad stuff is all Internet myth and tall tales Melling makes the pumps and they know what they are doing. HD Pump Shaft - FMS makes one, and ARP does too. When you install the pump, the funny looking washer thingy goes on the part of the shaft that fits into the hex socket in the distributor shaft. It keeps the shaft in place when you remove the distributor, which you will have to do to prime the pump. Forget to put it on, and the pump shaft can come loose and fall down in the bottom of the oil pan.
There is a one piece oil pan gasket which will help re-assembly if you can find it. If you can't get this gasket, use weather strip adhesive to secure the cork gasket to the pan rails and the rubber strips to the bearing caps. Use lots of Acetone or MEK to clean the gasket surfaces so the weather strip adhesive will stick good. Read the instructions on the adhesive carefully to make sure the gaskets are permanently stuck in place and won't move when you slide the pan in place. Use lots of blue silicone sealer on top of the front and rear rubber seals where they mate with the pan.
Fill with oil, replace the filter. Reconnect the battery, switch the ignition on to enable the gages, but DON'T crank the car. Remove the distributor and use a 1/4" hex socket to turn the pump counter clock wise (same direction as distributor rotation) until you see oil pressure (an external gage is a great help long about now). And keep turning for about 30 sec after you see the pressure come up. A reversible drill is the best tool to use to turn the 1/4" socket. The pressure should come up to about 50-80psi with cold oil. Once you see good pressure, check for obvious leaks, and then and only then, lower everything back into place and bolt down the mounts and anything else you had to take loose.
Re-install the distributor and set the timing with the engine running using timing light (don't forget to disconnect the SPOUT plug and reconnect it when finished) 12-14 degrees BDC is good. Start up and check for leaks, let it warm up and look again for leaks. It took me 2 days plus, but I am old and slow, maybe your granny is faster.
I've done it. Took roughly 3 days working at a slow pace. There's really not an easy way to do it. The above advice is spot on. Unless you aren't in a position to pull the motor best advice is to just yank it. 1/2 day to pull it, 1/2 day to clean and install new gaskets, and another 1/2 day to get everything back in.
I wouldn't. You are talking about a $30 gasket vs. 2 days of work. Get a new one, put Right stuff in the corners in front where meets the timing cover and in back where it meets the crank journal. Do not overtighten it. Make sure the pan is not warped and all the mating surfaces are clean.
A lot of guys are actually going back to the cork gaskets as they do not have the leaking problems.
If you support the engine properly you can drop the K-member completely out of the car, leave the engine in place, and have full access to the pan. Short of that...PITA.