oil pan removal without engine pull

[Humboldt]

Is this procedure from an L26 280Z applicable with a 510 with an L20B?
"Just want to note that I surveyed the archives and found all the hints for removal of oil pan while the engine is in the car BEFORE I attempted to do this on my '76 280Z to replace a leaky gasket. And I must report, once you know the tricks, it is a very simple process requiring no removal of crossmember or jacking of engine. Since the hints were scattered in several posts, I thought I would take you through the process with all hints in one place:
1. Jack car up on crossmember and block it there. Even better, I slid ramps under the front wheels (the car is too low to drive up them). This gave me plenty of working room, and was much safer than jack stands.
2. Drain oil. Remove dipstick.
3. Remove all pan bolts. Note that there are two different-length bolts used on the pan. The longer ones go throught the angled metal "spacers" or whatever they are on rear sides of pan.
4. Remove bottom two bolts in the tranny bellhousing. The pan will hang up on them otherwise. 
5. On my car (76 280Z), there was a small "anti-torque" thing on the steering rack. It's put together with a U-clamp like you'd find on an exhaust clamp, and is there I guess to keep the rack from twisting. Anyway, mine was situated at the driver's side of the rack. It's in the way for lowering pan. It's simple to loosen it and either remove it or (as I did) simply slide it to the other end out of the way.
6. Knock pan loose with rubber mallet. After 20+ years, mine was almost 'welded' on and had to be pried loose with screwdriver, which actually bent one corner before it would bust loose. You may have to go this way, too, but try to do it only as last resort. Straightening small bends in pan rim is no big deal. 
7. Loosen the two 12mm bolts on the oil pickup. They're on the driver's side about halfway down the block. Be careful not to damage the thin gasket. You don't have to actually remove this piece, but I did so to clean it up and replace the gasket. 
8. Once the pan is loose, you can get a flashlight and see where your rod journals are situated. The pan will not come out unless the front journals (or more accurately, the crank counterweights in front) are rotated up into the engine. So you need to get your 27mm socket on the crank snout and turn with a big ratchet or breaker bar. (I meant to see where this was compared to TDC, but forgot.)
9. Once the frontmost counterweights are up inside engine, the pan will slide back, down and out. It's a tight fit and takes a bit of jiggling, but it will make it. 
10. To install, "reverse the procedure". If you've removed the oil pickup, screw it very loosely into position BEFORE you slide the pan on. Once the pan is back in position, don't forget to tighten the oil pickup bolts before you start in on the pan bolts. 
I tried sticking the pan gasket on with sticky sealer, but you have to wiggle everything around so much, that it still came loose. It's okay. You can fudge it around when the pan is in position, just be patient and make sure all the screws are indeed going through the gasket. Finally, do NOT overtighten pan bolts. I think they spec out at 7ftlbs. The pan gasket I used was so thick and squishy that I had to make 3-4 passes around with a small torque wrench before they would 'hold' torque. Also note that there are two or three bolts on the passengers side under the crossmember that you'll have to do with a box end, as you can't get a socket on them. 
11. Don't forget to put oil back in the engine! ;-)"

[datzenmike]

Would loosening the engine brackets and jacking the engine up help? It probably would go a inch before the transmission hits the tunnel.

[Humboldt]

well at this point haven't got the wrenches flying. It is actually an L16 truck motor with the truck backwards pan and I'm trying to figure out how to do the least amount of work with swapping back to L16 car oil pan so it doesn't scrape. Anybody had similar issue and successful solutions??

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Removing the steering makes the job a lot easier. You can simply unbolt the idler arm from the tub and drop it down a few inches to help get the pan off the block.

[Humboldt]

Thanks

[G-Duax]

I had no problem removing the pan on my 620 to re-ring it.

Put on stands, pulled the 4 bolts on the cross member, and popped the pan off.

Had plenty of room to clear the center tie rod, and get at all the rod caps.

 

Edit: After a cup of coffee, my aging memory came back....

I did pop off one end of the center tie rod.

Edited October 28, 2018 by G-Duax