broke the oil pan, need help/advice. please thanks

[IROCZman15]

ok, im really frusterated, because today i took off from work and finished assembling the body of the car; so i was guna drive it tomy painters to ahve him lok it over real quick before it went in for pain in a week or so;

--however, an accident happened, as i was jacking up the car to swap the front wheels, i put a pair of jackstands under the car and one in the center like i usually do(and will never ever do again), welp, as i let the car down on the floor jack, the center one was leaning somehow, and grabbed the "relay bar" that connects the tie rods and all steering stuff, and PUSHED IT UP INTO THE OIL PAN, it happened faster than i could turn the floor jack handle, but enought o do damage, i knew it was bad, and cranked the car for about .5 seconds, and heard the crankshaft knocking into the oil pan, ****, i shut it off and disconnected the batt. so i wouldnt start it anymore;

-then i drained half the oil, drilled and tapped a bolt into the crease; dent, tried to pry it out, got it out a little bit, but its dented so tight, that it aint guna pull out; therefore i am forced to get a new oil pan

if anyone knows anything abotu oil pans on STOCK 305-350 TPI cars, please shed input here for me, thanks

- gettting a new oil pan?
what brand? what style?

1. this milodon (3rd down) ???
http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10001_10002_745643_-1_10457

2. this trans-dapt (3rd one down) ???
http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10001_10002_750265_-1_10457

3. this spectre chromed? http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=SPE%2D5482&N=700+4294925232+4294839075+4294840045+4294908216+ 4294908198+4294925008+115&autoview=sku

4. this trans dapt ?
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=TRD%2D8914&N=700+4294925232+4294839075+4294840045+4294908216+ 4294908198+4294925008+115&autoview=sku


5. summit racing matches:
http://store.summitracing.com/egnsearch.asp?N=700+4294925232+4294839075+42948400 45+4294908216+4294908198+4294925008+115+4294840138

6. this stock one from jegs?
http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplayPopup?storeId=10001&catalogId=10002&productId=763991&itemId=394230&langId=-1&showValue=2

7. this one from jegs? i think so. ??
http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplayPopup?storeId=10001&catalogId=10002&productId=763991&itemId=21096&langId=-1&showValue=2




questions:
1.what is a rear main seal? waht is a 1 piece rear main seal? do i have one (1987 IROC replacement motor from goodwrench)

2. deep sump? kicked out? is there a differene?

3. windages? baffles? i dont think they are in a stock oil pan, what do i need (street car only)

4. oil capactity? 4 quarts? 6 quarts? 5? 7? i see pans offering all different volumes?

- i want to keep this stock, so i know it will go in and on with no problem; i dont want it to hang low, or bump steering or subframe in any way.



removal/installation of oil pan?

1. do i need to jack up the motor like my shop manual says? by removing starter, distributer cap, air intake stuff; and raise the motor up 3-4 inches? in doing this do i have to remove the trans mounts? motor mounts?

turn the balancer to timing mark at 6:00 to crank is facing up mostly?

is there a way to remove the oil pan without using an engine lifter/pcicker? is it safe?

can i do this? or should i have my mecahinc tow the car to his shop and do it for me? what oil pan is the safest to get/will fit?

[NJSPEEDER]

jsut go to a junk yard and grab an oil pan off of any 1 piece rear main seal small block. unless you have extremem oil control needs or jsut a lump of cash burning a hole in your pocket the after market pans are really a waste.

[IROCZman15]

ok cool man, thanks

i think i might get this one

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=SUM-G3501&Ntt=chrome

seems lieka direct replacement, not too expensive

im pretty darn sure my motor is a 1 piece seal too; and the dipstick is on the pass. side

[IROCZman15]

crap, nevermind, bad part, i just noticed its the wrong years; i need to find that exact pan, but for 1986 and up, not 1980-1985.. damn

[BonzoHansen]

No chrome. Leaks. Get a regular GM OE pan. Like Tim said.

[IROCZman15]

yea, i jsut learned that from reading some otehr posts on thirdgen.org

ill probably just get a stamped replacement one from NAPA, pep-boys, or a GM dealer then. knowing it will fit


whats the labor guna cost me? around $200-$300 tho ?

[BonzoHansen]

Motor has to come out, at least partially. Find a pal with a hoist. :)

[Ian]

dont get the pan from a GM dealership, it will cost you more than a local parts store. stay away from chrome, it leaks and chrome also retains heat very well...not a good thing.

[chrisfrom nj]

go to a auto parts store your better off getting a new oil pan

[V]

motor does not have to come out. ive done rod bearings on an 84 z28 with the motor still in, i think we just unbolted the motor mounts and jacked the engine up a tiny bit. so it is doable.

and yes, you want and pan for 86-up
79 and earlier were 2 piece rear mainseals, dipstick on passenger side(i think thats how it was)
80-85 were 2 piece, dipstick on drivers side
86+ were 1 piece, dipstick on driver side

i dont have any used oil pans laying around currently, i threw a few away many months back. i do have the steering linkage parts if you will be looking for those.

[IROCZman15]

ok cool, cool, thanks guys, ima go over to my mechanics later today, to get a price, if its too expensive, ill think about doing it myself, im just not too sure i want to try the "floor jack on the balancer" approach that a few people on thirdgen.org have mentioned; as i dont have an engine lift;

im also guna go to some local stores to see waht an oil pan would cost

[IROCZman15]

ok guys heres the results;

last week I picked up an oil pan from a Chevy dealership nearby, it cost me a bunch of $, and i know, i know i could have gotten one cheaper, but i didnt need an aftermarket deep one or chrome one, etc; so i went with a GM part; knowing it would fit perfectly; cost me a total of $160 for the PAN AND THE GASKET

then i came over to my house with my mechanic, towed the car over to his shop on a flatbed, and today he put the pan in for me, with new gasket; he used the car lift; and to lift the motor up he used one of those tall transmission jacks; unbolted hte motor mount bolts; exhaust (at headers/y pipe) dist. cap, starter, etc.. slid the old pan out, and used some RTV on the new gasket and bolted it up under the motor, car runs good, no leaks, etc

so hopefully now that the car is driveable again, i can drive it over to my painters and have him spray the primer and red paint sometime within the next 2 weeks

again; thanks for the advice and help guys,
-hopefully anyone else who destroys their oil pan and panics like i did willr ead this post and have some idea of what is involved replacing it

Dave