Bad Day, Very Bad day

BUMMER......glad to see your getting it figured out though!

as for the oil pan.....you should be able to remove the drag link and undo motor mounts and raise it out of the k member far enough to pop the pan off and do the job in chassis.

I agree with the others that its probably linked to the recent upper end build you did that caused this problem.

BUT for future reference...... Melling is about 5 miles from my house.....they make their parts right here in my town.....I have heard some nasty stories from friends who have worked there about the kind of quality control they put out.

I can't say much for mopar engines but I can PERSONALLY tell you I have had to change 3 melling oil pumps on a ford 302 in the span of 2 years!!!!

reason being.....they machined the pump drive gears to large and when they install the bottom plate to the pump (the plate that encloses the oil pump housing) it presses against the pump gears.

what this causes to happen for one is.....it makes the gears extreamly tight to turn (which can snap or candy cane your oil pump drive shaft.......it could candy cane the shaft during break in and last 4 or 5 years or so before it finally snaps....but odds are it was initially damaged during the first start up of the pump)........the second thing this effects is.......after these gears spin so tight to the bottom mounting plate for so long.....the gears chew into the plate from the inside out......the more miles put on it after this process has started....the more material is chewed away.....which gives more room for slop in the gears to shift up and down.....and reason 3.....when the gears chew into the bottom plate....all the metal shavings continue to whip around inside the pump housing and they will chew the gears up and cover them in porosity which will often lead to low oil pressure or NO oil pressure.

not saying these are the cause of your problem.....but it COULD be....or could have played a contributing roll anyhow.

some people like melling.....but honestly I stay away from alot of their parts do to dealing first hand with some of their poor quality work.

when you take the pump out.....drop the bottom mounting plate and take pictures and see if the gears have chewed into the plate any.