[70GMCer]

Pretty much everything "super72bb" said and it is probably easier to drop the pan on a 2wd, as mine is 2wd. It just so happens that I'm at the end of doing my pan gasket change. I didn't have a leak though, as I had to change the oil pump. This is the 1st time I have used the 1 piece gasket, and will use them from now on. It is on the pricey side, but well worth it. I paid $25.00 at Auto Zone. See the picture for the part number.

The only hard part to doing this job, is when it comes time to put the motor mount bolts back in. And that's not saying it's that hard. Look at my pictures as far as how high you jack the engine up. I didn't use a lift. I used a floor jack with a 4X4 piece of wood placed under the pan. It doesn't have to be a 4X4 piece of wood, just something that will hold the weight of the engine. Make sure that what ever you're using, is placed on the outer edges of the pan, as it will dent the pan in if you don't.

The following is what I did before lifting the engine.....

1st, make sure that the timing mark on the balancer is pointed in the down position (or at 6 O'clock). Don't pass this step by, as the oil pan will fight you coming out. Remove both engine mount bolts, then the top bolts holding the fan shroud so that the shroud moves up with the engine. If you have an auto trans w/column shift, put it in neutral, and make sure you chalk up the back wheels so that the truck doesn't move on you and use the E-Brake if you have one. Same goes with a manual column shift trans. Most truck and auto manuals say to remove the distributor cap. I didn't have to do that, as I had plenty of firewall room and I use a HEI dizzy. A big block dizzy cap might have to be removed though.

You don't have to bother with taking off any hoses or lines, as they all move when lifting the engine.

The only other thing I had to move out of the way, was the starter in order to get to the pan bolts on the one side. Also, if it is an auto trans, you have to remove the bottom bell housing cover (4 bolts).

As you can see in the pics, I only had to raise it about 3" and then placed 2X4under the engine mounts to support the engine. Now lower the floor jack and move it out of the way. As soon as you remove all the pan bolts, the pan will just slip right out. No fighting it at all. You might have to pry on the oil pan with a putty knife to loosen the old gasket.

Follow the instructions that come with the gasket kit, and just reverse the process to complete. MAKE SURE you clean everything, including the inside of the oil pan.

Again, this is an easy fix and only takes a few hours to do!!!

Hope this helps you out......

Steve