[DeTomaso] 10 Quart Oil Pan & Removeable X-Member

[mikeldrew at aol.com]

Michael,

You wrote:

I have just received the 10 qt. pan that i bought from another forum 
member 
as well as the crossmember. 
 
I have the following questions. 
 
1. Is there a step by step guide available to do this? ( I will be 
taking 
photos and documenting the whole thing ) 

>>>Not that I know of?

2. Are there alternatives to the oil pan gasket ( including brands ) 
that 
are superior? 

>>>There are one-piece rubber gaskets which are great, but I can't 
remember who makes them.

3. Is there a drawing of the E Brqke bracket that must be 
removed-changed, 
etc. 

>>>I can send you a photo of one.  That is, you saw off the stock one 
and pitch it over the hedge and then either buy or build a removable 
one which is substantially stronger and more user-friendly.  The car 
I'm working on right now has both pieces available for easy photogrphy; 
let me know if you need it.

4. What or How how should I treat the dipstick ( don't go there ) in 
relation to the deeper pan? 

>>>No change required!  The only thing the dipstick does is tell you 
how high to fill the pan (any pan) so that it is 'full' without 
actually being so full that the oil touches the rotating assembly.  
Therefore, you could have a 100-quart pan, and the oil level relative 
to the engine guts would remain unchanged.


5. I'm assuming that we should braze on an ext piece, if so, how long? 

>>>Well, you should check to make sure your dipstick is the proper 
length, exactly 38 inches.  Early cars were an incorrect length, and 
were painted black.  Later cars came with a proper dipstick, with the 
handle painted yellow, and Ford dealers were under strict instructions 
to repair those already in service and paint them yellow also, to 
quickly differentiate the good from the bad.

6. If I'm not smoking, is it really worth pulling the bearings out to 
have 
a look? 

>>>Opinions will vary--and I lack the education to be able to give a 
qualified opinion on that one.

7. Anything I left out? 

>>>It's a really messy job so be prepared for Exxon Valdez time.
 
>I was told that this was about a 2.5 hour job if one were alone on the 
garage floor. 

>>>And if at that time, your car was somewhere else, with experienced 
paid professionals doing the job, that would be true.  But at the 
amateur hobbyist level that most of us (most certainly myself) operate, 
I would double that, taking into account the inevitable screw-ups and 
false starts and so forth.

>So if I were at a shop with a proper lift, any guesstimates? 

>The act of lifting the car and properly securing it takes a good 15-20 
minutes if done in an anal manner (and if *I* am under the car, it had 
better be done that way!), wheras with a lift it's much quicker.  But 
once the car is in the air, total time for the job will be essentially 
the same.

Good luck!

Mike
________________________________________________________________________
Check out the new AOL.  Most comprehensive set of free safety and 
security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from 
across the web, free AOL Mail and more.