[JimD]

I like the idea of an aluminum pan too, mine is steel. But does the outlet come sideways, horizontal, like my ex-wife's? Mine is vertical which makes oil changes easier. Not a killer but I had to make up a deflector (out of scrap cardboard) to minimize the mess.

I wonder if the modification to fit the aluminum pan is less work than fixing the broken stud in the steel pan. I think I would drill out the broken stud, put a bolt in, then weld or braze the bolt in place. I have a welder but am not-so good with it. I am confident I could stick it in place but so-so on whether it would leak. Brazing is easier and probably plenty strong. Welding a thicker piece like a bolt head to a thin piece, like the pan, is entirely possible. But you have to use the settings for the thin piece. The depth of weld into the bolt head will be slight but my main concern would be leaking oil. The weld only has to stop the bolt from rotating.

Thanks for a nice piece.