Reflections on changing the oil pan and gasket on a 4.9L six in my '95 F150. Haynes recomends jacking the engine, I found a shop hoist was really handy, since the engine has a big ol' ring for lifting on top and hoisting, one can see immediately when you've hit an obstruction and start lifting the whole front end and not just the engine. Although I did not have to disturb the intake manifold, I did have to disconect some gizmo atttached to it that was bumping the wiper motor. Someone posted the idea of using thread to hold the gasket in place til the pan is seated: pure genius. I used red thread to stand out in the murk against the black pan and gray gasket. I did find that the front three bolts on the 4.9L block did not line up well with the after-market pan I used. The bolts went in, but with far more force than should have been necessary. If I were to do it over, I'd elongate the two out-board holes with a file to allow the bolts to go in at a more natural angle.