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On a 4.0 it is easy. don't know about a 3.0. When you drop the pan, check the rod bearings. Just check 1 or 2, if they are ok, it is ok to reinstall the old ones. My bet is they are shot and replacement is easy and only 25 bucks. Mains will probably be ok.
When I did my '89 3.0l four years ago, I found that though the manual said to slide the pan out, I had to disconnect the motor mounts and jack the engine via the damper about 1", in order to work the pan out the back.
The gasket likes to squirm out of place; use Hi-Tack to hold it in place (or the thread trick).
I had purchased new rod brgs prior to doing my pan gasket, so I replaced them (180k showing on the digital ODO, might have been 280k, I don't know), but before I did I plastigaged a couple of the old ones, and they were within spec. Since I had the new brgs in hand, I replaced them anyway.
I am not sure you need to plastigage them. Mine in the 4.0 just looked like he!!. I think if they look pretty, they are ok. They were quiet though. On the 4.0 if you rotated the crank you could clear the counterweights without jacking the motor.
I could see some copper; the clearances were OK. Brgs are cheap, my labor is expensive.
The paper Ford manual said I could just remove the pan bolts and get it out. No dice, no matter where the crank was, the pan would not clear. I had to jack up the engine one inch, 3/4" wasn't enough.
It is easy on 3.0, but dont hope to be clean! You need new gasket, gasket sealant and 10 ore 8 mm socket (I see both the variants). To drop oilpan is really easy. Clean surfaces before installation. That is all. Sometimes if engine mounts are old jack the engine to get more room for operations.
Good bearings look like new ones. If you can see layers, they are shot. That is a fact even if plastigage inaccurately tests ok. My rod bearings showed three layers of different metal. Shot. They were quiet though but still shot. I looked at mains. They looked like brand new. Absolutely brand new. looking after 170,000 miles.
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