At what point is a dented oil pan potentially a problem? I hit some debris in the road a couple of weeks ago, it dented the oil pan it seems. Oil pressure seems fine as best as one can tell on the factory gauges, (1970 'Cuda). This is a 440 engine with the 6 quart pan. It is dented about 1/2". Sorry fuzzy picture. Thanks.

Even if it still functions ok that would bother me enough to replace it or fix it at some point.

Might be able to pull it out while still on the car using paintless dent repair glue on pull tabs and pulling down on them. I've seen them remove some nasty dents out of truck bed sides etc. on YouTube with such creative tricks. My only concern would be if the pickup tube is now bent uphill slightly and pulling the pan back down leaves you with more air gap between the pan and the pick up???

If that doesn't work you can massage it out off the car with a block of wood used as a drift punch and a good sized hammer. If your patient it can be made to look perfect again as I don't see any sharp creases.

That's a pretty good smack - I'd be concerned with the pickup inside.

New pan is $100 at 440source.com, IMHO, not worth time and energy trying to fix the damaged pan.

Wouldn't those dents if nothing else slightly skew the volume of oil that shows now on the dip stick and is now in the engine? I'm thinking that might be an issue but what do I know and off course there's a reason the original shape of the oil pan was what it was to consider. Me, I would fix it before finding out it does create a problem. Also I have never seen or heard off reducing oil pan volume as being a performance gain.

I have seen and driven worse but I am with CrazyD i would worry about the pickup.

The pickup can be very low and near the bottom of the pan. If the dent is bad enough it could crack or close the pickup area.

Not worth risking it.

Once it is off a couple smacks with a sledge and 2x4 and the pan will be good as new.
The pickup would be very suspicious to me. Most bad dents i encountered bend it at where it threads into the block. Easy place to crack the pickup there too.

I've seen that too. The pickup was only hanging on by about on thread. Had to be sucking air. Was glad I didn't drive it any more than I did before checking it.

I don't know about '70 but this is a direct quotation from page 9-68 of the 1967 FSM:

"The bottom of the strainer must touch the bottom of oil pan."

If '70 is similar, I'd pull that pan now.

Pull it get a piece of plywood and a good piece of wood to reach down and pound it out

I've had to straighten many Mopar oil pan sumps : wrench:
I like to have between barely touching on the rear edge of the pickup to the pan bottom check through the drain plug hole, I removed the drain plug to check this, and up to being able to barely slide the dipstick sideways under it

Yes, you are exactly right.

Too many have no idea of that relationship. The stock, it'll say it again for the boy racers, STOCK pick up has a sheet metal shield that touches the bottom of the pan and sets the correct relationship between the pickup and pan.