I've finally decided to go ahead with replacing the oil pan and gasket on my '80 F-150 with the 300-6 engine. I've read all the threads dealing with the process I can find, and I think I know what needs to be done and how to do it.

I only have one question left at this point. I'm going to go with the one-piece gasket, so I've decided to replace the oil pan as well - my current one is a bit banged up, and looks like it might have been over-torqued (now who could have done that, I wonder?) in the past. I only want to do this job *once*, so I want to buy a pan that is made to work with the one-piece gasket.

The question is, is the Spectra Premium STP FP02A pan the right one? NAPA lists it as fitting a '96 F-150, so that sounds right. Problem is, NAPA also lists it as fitting an '83 F-150, which *doesn't* sound right - the pan design changed in 1988, I believe. So is this just a NAPA goof on the website, or is there something else about these pans I should be aware of?

Also...does anyone have any opinion on Spectra oil pans in general, or this one in particular? Any and all advice is welcome, thanks.

 

I just looked at the Rockauto site............the 80 & 83 pans show as being different for the 300.

The Spectra part # is FP02B for 1980; FP02A for 1983 (& also 1996).

Dorman & ATP also had different #'s for 80 & 83 (& their 83 #'s applied for 96 like Spectra's did).

 

i take it you're pulling the engine to do this? i had to change an oil pump in my 83 one time, and with the engine still married to the tranny but lifted off its mounts, it was possible to get the job done, but not to remove the pan from the vehicle.

in any case, you may as well change the oil pump as you're in there

 

I'm considering changing the oil pump, although with only 121,000 miles on the engine I doubt it's really necessary - I'll take a look at it when I'm in there, though.

I don't plan to remove the engine. My understanding is that if you disconnect the engine from the mounts and raise it 2", you can get that pan off. WilleyJoe.62 has a pretty good writeup here, which matches up with what I've read elsewhere.

 

Thanks for that; I should have thought to check another site to see if they had the same years listed.

So...assuming it's not the gasket compatibility that differentiates the earlier and later pans, what is it? The dipstick on the later years is in the same place as the 80-82s, right?

 

mine was a 4x4, and simply did not have enough clearance even though it was raised up tight against the body. if yours is 2wd, that probably makes all the difference and may then make it possible.

the oil pump i had problems with still made good pressure and all that, but its internal relief valve would stick open randomly, losing all pressure at random. if i were you, i would go for a new one, even with only 120k on it.

 

Dorsai, Archion is probably your best source of information on Spectra Premium.

If you remove your valve cover, take the fan shroud (if you have one) loose, you should be able to get the engine high enough. You will need to drop the oil pickup and maybe the pump (good time to think about them too). I would probably look at the bearings just for my own information while they are easy to get to.

 

From what I know, the differences in pans prior to 88 is the location of the dipstick, which is something you should definitely be aware of. Some years had them in the block, some in the oil pan. If your current one is in the oil pan and you get one designed to be in the block, you'll have nowhere for a dipstick at all.


Other than that, the only difference between an oil pan with a 4 piece and a 1 piece gasket is that the 1 piece is flat and the 4 piece has raised ridges around each bolt hole. On that note, you can easily modify an older oil pan for a 1 piece by simply grinding the ridges down flat. I've done it on a few and it's easy if you have a good grinder.

Either way, definitely go the 1 piece route, it's superior to the 4 piece in every way. I'll never mess with another one again.

 

You have plenty of room to get the pan off. Even though I had my heads off, Its 100% doable with everything there. And go with the 1-piece, it'll save you from going insane with the 4-piece.

 

One more item, oil pans designed for the one piece gasket have two side reinforcement "bars" they are about 1/4" thick and go on the outside to provide proper stiffness when clamping the gasket. These require longer bolts.

 

I've heard about those but have never seen or used them. Some of those would definitely be nice! But, in my experience, not necessary, so don't fret too much if you can't track some down.

 

Wait, are the bars part of the pan itself, or are they separate and are just supposed to be used with the pan and gasket? I've not heard of these...is it a problem if I don't use them? For that matter, do all the pan bolts need to be longer, or just the bolts on the sides?

 

I don't think they come with the pan, they aren't welded on. They are to stiffen the pan rails to help seal.

 

I don't have the strips on mine and they seal fine. Stock pan, stock bolts, 1 piece gasket.

 

Hmmm, OK. I won't worry about them, then.

Anyway, thank you to all who chipped in on this...I'm probably still a month away from doing the work, I want it to get a little warmer before I start spending a lot of time under the truck. I'll update this thread once things get going.