PO smashed the front of oil pan when he put on new timing cover. Its all messed up. Going to put new pan and single seal on. Any advice or tips on removing and installing?????

 

This really can't be done without lifting the engine or dropping the crossmember. And lifting the engine is limited by the trans, as well as all the connections, such as radiator hoses, fuel lines, et cetera.
Dropping the crossmember is also difficult, but it's the route I'd go for this.

 

any advice for dropping the crossmember

 

Cross member held in by 2 bolts each side. When I did mine, I removed the dist cap and rotor, then the long bolts that run through the motor mounts, then placed jack under the trans tailshaft and removed the crossmember bolts, then let the trans tailshaft down slowly making sure the dist edge didn't hit the firewall - that should allow the room needed to get oil pan out. You don't have to remove driveshaft, your just letting the trans come down 2-3 inches. The whole drivetrain assembly will still be held by the trans mount, and it will kinda pivot on it, allowing motor to come up. If engine weight is too much and tranny tailshaft will not fall any, just get a bar above it and kinda pry it down some.

 

That was confusing. After reading it twice, it seems you left the crossmember in. I haven't tried doing it the way just described, but it seems it would still be an awfully tight fit.
To drop the crossmember is easy if you don't mind doing labor at ground level, but CN's way just described wouldn't be any less.
Either way, you need jackstands.
To drop the crossmember, you only need 1 pair. They go under the front mounts for the sway bar.
Then use 2x2" blocks along the inner edges of the fenders where they're recessed for the hood. Above those put a 4x4" beam across, to support the engine.
Then undo the motor mounts, one bolt per side, then the 4 crossmember bolts. Now the pan is easy to change.

 

OK guys - I was thinking transmission crossmember, not engine crossmember!

I'd never thought of dropping the engine crossmember - might be easy, but looks like trouble to me. I unbolted the trans crossmember so I could pivot the drivetrain on the tranny mount to wiggle the pans in/out past the engine crossmember and exhaust.

Sorry for the confusion!