1952-59 Ford Dropping the oil pan on a 55 ford

Hi to all........The 55 Ford shop manual states on page 46 under the heading "OIL PAN" that the " THE #1 CYLINDER MUST BE ON TOP DEAD CENTER BEFORE THE OIL PAN CAN BE REMOVED"....Why is that ???......thanks ...John in CT

 

To get the 1st counterweight up out of the way so the pan can be removed. Not necessary if the engine is out of the car.

 

Thanks....John in CT

 

I just cant wrap my head around why on a Y block where all the parts are up inside that is necessary. But then I never tried it either.

 

The pan can't be dropped far enough to clear the 1st crank counterweight when trying to get the pan off with the engine in the car unless the counterweight is rotated up out of the way.