I'm asking because, due to my stupidity/carelessness, I dented/damaged my brand-new Ford OEM oil pan I installed on my 2002 Mustang GT last year when I was jacking my car up about 2 weeks ago, because the jack was pushed too far under the K-member (it's a BMR Suspensions premium K-member with spring perches, because I'm using factory-style coil springs/shocks, and not coil-overs), and I didn't realize it until it was too late.
I've been working on this car for nearly FIVE YEARS now, and frankly I'm getting tired of not being able to drive it (the engine hasn't even been turned-over/started in all that time, as I had it partially disassembled, mainly for timing components/oil pump replacement!). I was about 55 when I started this, and I just turned 60, last November. Until last year, I was an over-the-road tractor-trailer driver, and then I had to quit doing that and get a local job, due to my elderly father's declining health, and my wife & I had to move into his home, to help care for him (unfortunately, he passed away last November). There always seems to be some part of life getting in the way of my getting this car done.
Anyway, I installed that new K-member last year, and my ENTIRE front suspension is brand-new (I've currently got the rear suspension apart, and am completely replacing all that, too). I got all new OEM Ford attaching hardware for things like the struts and lower control arms, and I really don't want to take all that apart again, partially to avoid having to re-do all that work, and partially because I think some of that attaching hardware is meant to be discarded after removing it, and I think some of that is obsolete from Ford.
I'll post pictures of my damaged oil pan and my K-member, but the K-member basically attaches to all the same attachment points as the stock K-member. The problem is that I also purchased from BMR a brace that goes on the rear of the K-member, and it passes RIGHT underneath or behind the oil pan, so just jacking the engine up and lowering the K-member slightly ISN'T going to give me enough clearance. There's NO way to remove that brace without removing the lower control arms, because I used new OEM Ford/Motorcraft lower control arms (I didn't want to use arms with polyurethane or some other similar bushings, as I'm very concerned about increased NVH), and one of the bolts for the brace is blocked by the control arms. I'm pretty much assuming I'll have to lower the entire K-member down to the garage floor, or maybe even pull it out from under the car, until I can swap oil pans (I already have a Moroso 8-quart oil pan I bought for it a while back, but then I decided to use a new Ford OEM pan - guess I'll be throwing the Moroso pan on now, LOL!)
Anyone who says this is possible, would I need to just remove the nut from the top of the struts, and lower them with the K-member, or would I need to remove the entire strut mount plate (I have new Bilstein struts, and Maximum Motorsports caster/camber plates). I'll of course remove the wheels/tires; brake calipers, and rotors, to help reduce weight, along with the sway bar. I guess I'll also have to remove my new power steering lines from my new rack (at least, one of them; the other looks like it goes to the cooler, so I can just disconnect it there). Anything else?
Maybe my oil pan isn't that damaged, so that some might not even bother replacing it. But, I've spent nearly five years working on this car, and have replaced a LOT of parts with brand-new. I'm not going through this effort to leave a damaged/compromised part on my Mustang!