Hello gents. I am in the process of doing some work and need help from anyone with knowledge on these old square bodies. My grandest mistake so far on this vehicle was scrimping on the installation cost of my reman'd engine about 3 years ago. Ive been chasing leaks and performance issues ever since! Lesson learned, note to self: Pay to have it done right, or pay to have it redone.

Currently, the process of changing a bad harmonic dampener has turned into a bunch of new parts, and tools, that I didn't know I needed and this job has quickly grown and I am into it for a new oil pan gasket, timing cover and water pump. My question is this, if I TDC number 1, Is it possible to get the oil pan off without lifting the engine?

It seems the basic rule of thumb is to lift the engine but the cross brace on the R10 looks very nicely shaped to facilitate clearance of the pan. My fear is takin gout the bolts then realizing it wont come off and having to put it back on just to lift the engine. Thanks!