arp?

[Knuckledragger]

After reading your OP again, why are you taking off the oil pan? Has it proved to leak? If that is your main job, do it and be done with it. Do not use a gasket, only RTV like the factory. If you are not certain about a leak, just clean off the area and drive a little to determine precisely where it is. Guessing costs time, energy and money. Finding out for sure costs a lot less of all three.

 

[cbert]

the plug got stripped and it is leaking quite a bit from the rtv seal so i figured just replace it

 

[Knuckledragger]

These engines are heavy mothers (1100 lbs, I think), use a HD lift and engine stand. Someone else said to re-o-ring the oil cooler, that is a capital idea and the o-rings only cost about $15. It is way tougher to do in the truck.

Replacing the oil pan is easy enough, but get the sealing surfaces as clean as possible, then clean them again before applying the silicone. Chasing the threads of the screws is a good idea, too. You do not want crap oozing out as you are trying to bolt down the new oil pan on the fresh, clean surface.

While the pan is off, look to see if the piston cooling jets are the bolt in kind. If so, you might be able to take them out and blow air through to make sure there are no plugged ones. If they are not the bolt in kind, leave them alone. That is a job to do when rebuilding the engine.