[DeTomaso] Puckered Oil Pan Bolt Holes

[JDeRyke at aol.com]

In a message dated 4/16/11 10:40:45 AM, mbefthomas at comcast.net writes:

> My first thought is to lay the oil pan on the upturned engine, and with a 
> flat-end block of hardwood over the bolt hole area, tap it back to flat 
> until the area is once again flush to the edge of the block.
> 

Better would be to lay the pan on a board and tap the puckers down with the 
ball end of a ball-peen hammer. You'll need to exercise some care, though. 
IMHO the iron block won't yield enough to allow the metal to go past the 
'neutral' point and spring back to flat. If you go too far, tap it back the 
other way again. This is simply bodywork. If you don't have a ball-peen, a 
large punch can be used with a std hammer. The key is only hitting it as hard as 
is necessary. And be more careful tightening the little bolts- they only 
take about 5 ft-lbs of torque & usually break before overtightening. Good 
luck- JDeryke