351 oil pan comparison pictures

As you can see, they're not the same.

The low point of the Spectra is about 1 1/2 inches further back and the low point of the pan is the drain plug on the bottom at the very rear of the pan. The drain plug wasn't in for the pictures but with it in, the pan stuck down about 3/4 of an inch more than the PCM. The pictures can be a little deceptive but those are the actual measurements.

So that naturally would lead to the question of whether it will work as a replacement for your PCM pan.

Easy answer is ,,,,,,,,,,it depends on the boat. You'll have to figure that part out yourself.

Somebody like TRBenj might be able to tell you how much clearance there is on different hull and transmission combinations

Along with the pan, you'd also want the original Ford oil pump pickup tube and strainer to go with the Spectra pan. Something like a Melling 83S2

You can also find an old thread where Wideopen44 used a Dorman pan which is basically the same thing and it fit his 86 SN. Here's a link


link to old thread


That drain plug on the bottom may or may not leave any room for a drain hose either, meaning you'll be sucking it out through the dipstick tube in some cases.

Starting in the late 80's, 351w blocks came with the dipstick hole in the block, so it wasn't exactly necessary to make a pan with a dipstick hole any more. 

Sometimes people have too many dipstick holes when they use a new block and old oil pan which both have holes and they need to plug the block hole.

What you need is for someone here on CCF with a mid 70's to 81 Ski Nautique to see if a 1 inch thick piece of wood will slide under his oil pan/bellhousing  since your engine is all apart and out of the boat