Hi all, need to replace my oil pan gasket on a 396 and it looks like a real pain. I know I'll have to remove my after market steering arm and that's fine. My worry is whether the pan will be able to clear the crank without hoisting up the engine. The pan is very close to the cross member. Anyone have any advise? Also what color should the pan be on a 68 Camaro? It's chevy orange now but all the after market pans I see for sale are black?

 

You will have to hoist the engine. Good luck.
Black oil pans, or engine assemblies, started in the mid-'80's.
Previous were Chebbie orange.

 

The aftermarket pans come black because that's a universal color, and it has to be painted something to prevent rust. Over the years, Chevy small blocks were a bunch of different colors from red, chartreuse, orange, a couple of blues, and black. It's up to the end user to detail the oil pan accordingly.