My (late) 2 cents...

I wouldn't do any tapping/chasing/helicoiling without removing the pan - that's just asking for trouble with metal shavings in the oil. Vaseline or not, you have no idea if you are going to get all of them. So if have to pull the pan one way or another, then why not just replace the pan altogether and get a nice new gasket.

Bart, do a search for "oil pan" before you start, though - I vaguely remember a discussion about a take-up tube that interfered with easy removal of the pan without removing the cross-member.


Etlsport - those bubbles in your oil can be caused by over-filling, because if you have enough in there, it can touch the moving parts just above the pan and froth up your oil like milk in a latte.