man, i love when a thread starts to get historical. thanks for all the info folks.

joe, i agree w/ you. the pan on the 261 is on it for a reason, right??? looked at the front suspension today and cant see any reason the original engine pan should cause problems. i'll just go w/ it for now and make a change later if necessary.

curt, pm sent again.

"it's only old if you can't find a use for it; otherwise it's cool and i'll use it."