I have a Milodon oil pan on a 78 360 in a 68 Barracuda. Due to leaks, I want to change out the gasket, what is the best gasket/ install method to use, and should I yank the engine to do it?

You might raise the eng several inches/drop the center link & see if it'll come out. I'd check the bolt holes in the pan for flatness in those rails and get a non cork gasket set. Most any variety of Permatex gasket cement will work (permatex #3 brush on aviaton cement is the easiest to apply). Is it leaking on the front or the rear & if front its not the seal correct? EDIT seal as in timing cover seal

These have been suggested as the best out there. I haven`t used them yet. http://www.superformanceproducts.com

get the centerlink out of the way , unbolts the motor mounts and raise the engine a few inches and you can get the pan out with the engine in the car. I did it on my back when I was 18 in the street in front of my house , just don't pour indian head gasket shelac in your hair ...

The first thing I would do is to make sure where the oil is leaking from, left or right side oil pan gasket, front or rear rubber oil pan seal, rear main seal or maybe the timing cover or valve cover gaskets or the front or rear intake gaskets I've seen more than one oil pan removed to fix a oil leak that was actually dripping down from the valve covers

Thanks s guys, I think I will verify leakage first, very possible it could have blown around from the timing chain cover, I think it's coming from the front.

So I found the leak, it's between the timing chain cover and front pan gasket. Timing chain cover also leaks at sides towards bottom. If I pull the timing chain cover, any way to get a better seal at the bottom, or should I replace the pan gasket too? It is a one piece gasket and seems sealed well except against the TC cover.

One of the bad designs that Mopar made on the LA V8 is no alignment dowels for the timing covers That can allow a person to tighten down the timing cover before having the oil pan tighten downed, which helps center the front timing cover seal around the crankshaft sealing surface. I would loosen up all the oil pan bolts so there is one to two threads exosed between the oil pan rail and the block, if the pan will drop down without tearing the oil pan gasket up that is If it won't then you'll probally need to remove the oil pan and replace that gasket. On the timing cover go ahead and remove it so you can work with both the timing cover and oil pan to help seal both up properly to make them leak tight. I use a small dab of adhesive silicone, not regular silicone gasket maker where the front and rear rubber oil pan seal meet the oil pan gaskets. I believe the oil pan gasket should go under the edge of the front and rear rubber seal, maybe just the rear main seal cap, maybe not It's been over ten years since I've touch a LA Mopar V8 Look closely at both and follow the directions with the gaskets. Good luck They won't leak if sealed up properly

It isn't the design that's bad, it's the assumption that a competent mechanic would be working on it.

You use the harmonic balancer to "align" the timing cover properly. Not the oil pan, not dowels, not your eyeball.

SuperCuda I so much want to be a moderator just so I can see your head roll. You are always on the rag about something. My buddy Cab has it right just needs a little bit added. OP leave the pan/pan gasket alone and pull the dampener & timing cover. put a rag in the front of the pan to catch any debris till you are done prepping. clean the t cover. install new seal. clean front pan flat curved edge on each side. eng right side up/not on a stand I'm assuming we are at on this one, the rear edge of the cork side gaskets go under the black neoprene seal that sets in the groove in the rear #5 main cap. in front the (2) ends of the cork side gaskets go on top of the front black neoprene seal. With everything fresh gasketed with cement get the t cover started on with its' bolts including the (2) pan bolts underneath then install the dampener part way but enough to center the t cover then evenly tighten the t cover bolts the rest of the way including the (2) bolts underneath to final amt (torque amt or what feels right) then draw the dampener on the rest of the way. dont forget to lube the seal ID and some sealer on its OD before you drive it into the t cover recess and the closed face of the seal goes inward on t covers where the seal goes in the rear side. drive it in with support all around it so you dont mangle it. Not sure if you can get the front/rear black neoprene seals seperately without the side cork gaskets & if you do have to get the whole set just use a short piece of the included cork on the short flat sides of the pan on either side that is exposed when you remove the t cover. and if you can get the end gaskets seperately some "the right stuff" gasket maker works good in lieu of the 2 pieces of cork. Holler how it turns out. If appropriate it might be a good time to replace the timing chain (SB prob area) and possibly advancing it 4 deg with a multiple keyway set (depends on your setup)

Do it right or don't do it at all. It's not hard to do it right.

I've seen some guys work awfully hard and go through a lot of pain and suffering to not do it right The bad part of that is they didn't know how to do it correctly, ignorance can be painful, terrifying and destructive