I need to change the oil pan on my 71 442 because somebody in the past decided to jack the car up with it. I have a 71 shop manual and it says that you have to pull the tranny to get the oil pan out. Please tell me this isn't so can I replace it by undoing the motor mounts and lifting the engine up?

 

You'll be hating life a lot less if you just go ahead and pull the motor. By the time you try to replace the pan with the motor in the car, you'll only be a half dozen bellhousing bolts away from just taking it completely out.

The risk in complete removal is that while it's out, you MIGHTASWELL replace the oil pump and you MIGHTASWELL do the timing chain, and... well, you understand.