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Joe M of Moroso posted the
following instructions for installing a Moroso
pan:
I work for Moroso Performance and
am the very proud and satisfied owner of a 2002 Lightning. We have
just completed four projects for Lightnings using my truck as the
guinea pig.
Based on our very recent experience, the stock oil pan cannot be
removed without removing or loosening the transmission unless you
are willing to damage the oil pan. The stock pan can be removed with
the transmission in place if you are willing to bend the rear
portion of the rail.
On a Lightning, if you pick the engine up near the front (after
disconnecting engine mounts and loosening the transmission mounts) you
can get the pan out by bending the rearmost portion of the pan rail
downward. This is of course assuming that you are planning to replace
the pan or are very skilled at knocking things back into their
original shape!
When the oil pan bolts are removed, the pan can be pushed rearward
enough to allow access to the two 8 MM screws that hold the forward
portion of the oil pump pickup in place. The pan can also be jockeyed
around enough to allow access to the 12 MM screw (I'm referring to the
size of the hex on the screws) that hold the rear mount of the pickup. Once the pickup is disconnected, the pan and pickup can be removed at
the same time. Believe me, we tried everything we could to avoid
taking the transmission out, but once we had it loosened up it made
more sense to take it down so we could have more room to work.
After we completed the work we did an experiment and that is when we
discovered that the stock pan could be removed if we were willing to
hurt it a little.
The new pan has been designed so that you can install and remove it
without disturbing the transmission. Put another way, if I can do it,
anyone can! If you have someone with small hands handy, you will find
that to be an advantage. If not, you will most likely find new ways to
expand your vocabulary of expletives.
So, right now I have a really trick aluminum oil pan that adds two
quarts to the system and an aluminum transmission pan that is huge (I
tow my race car with the Lightning) residing beneath the truck. Our
Lightning specific parts should be ready in 4 to 5 weeks so watch for
the release. Sorry for the semi-commercial, but we make great parts
here at Moroso and it's difficult not to talk about them.
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