Dropping exhaust y-pipe to get oil pan off. How do u reach the 2 firewall manifold bolts without removing intake? Seems like reaching them is very awkward. I removed the wiper cowl to reach heater core hoses but i think the intake makes access to the 2 manifold bolts quite difficult. It’s the 12v Vulcan motor.
The factory manual states that the engine must be raised and supported in order to remove the Y-pipe.
Tester
seems logical. but, i dont want to remove ypipe from car. only want to lower it 1-2". video shows unbolting ypipe from manifold and letting it drop 1-2". off course my 8mm socket split when i tried to loosen intake bolts. 5/16 and 9/32 dont fit. like everyone has 2 or more 8mm sockets.
the /32 sockets work well if you have them,
To remove the oil pan, the service manual directs you to raise the engine to remove the Y-pipe bolts/nuts from the manifold, so the Y-pipe can be dropped for clearance to remove the oil pan.
Tester
now I see the windage tray has a slot for oil pickup tube. Manifold bolts were easy to reach. Take off wiper cowl. Area to right is reflection. No crud in pan bottom.
People who d a lot of work on cars usually do have more than one socket set of the same range, often more than one standard set, one deep set, one standard depth impact set, and one deep depth impact set, as well as more than one box/open set of the same range. And other usable stuff like ratcheting box ends. If you’re going to work at the level you’re working, it’s well worth the investment.
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Don’t know how it goes for you guys, but I have 2 of everything because I tend to loose 1 halfway through the job, half the time doing repair and the other half looking for the mis placed tool! 
(humor)
LOL, been there, done that!
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My dad is retired and done with car repair. He has more tools than I could ever use. But he lives 90 miles away. I do like his heated shop during winter repairs.
mountainbike summed it up quite well
For any given socket size, I might have 6 point shallow chrome 12 point shallow chrome, 6 point medium length chrome, 6 point deep chrome, 6 point shallow impact, 6 point deep impact, etc.
And that’s not even taking into account the various drive sizes . . . 1/4" 3/8" 1/2" etc.
Same thing goes for wrench sizes
For a common size, I might have short box end, standard box end, long box end, double ended open, crowfoot, ratcheting box, etc.
And for certain critical tools, such as air impact wrenches, air ratchets, or tire inflators, I have double or more of everything. You do NOT want to be in a situation where your air impact wrench suddenly breaks without warning . . . it’s happened a few times over the years, in spite of careful maintenance, and through no fault of my own . . . and you don’t have a backup. The customer wants the job done in a timely fashion, he doesn’t care that your tool just broke.
When it breaks, you simply switch over to the backup and get the job done. Then after that vehicle is off the rack, and when the day is over, you figure out what you’re going to do about the broken tool. Repair yourself, send out for repair, replace, etc.
@Cavell brings up a good point. I don’t mean to brag, and I don’t have more tools than the average guy. I might have more tools than a 25 year old who’s been doing it only a few years, but I don’t really have more tools than the average middle aged guy who’s been at it for a few decades, as I have
i do miss his torch set. the hydraulic floor press was nice. never did use his wire feed welder much but i could use it now. his bead blast cabinet was fun to play with. and the parts washer. he got rid of his 10" lathe. i used to use that a bit when i was in high school. always making odd stuff. neighbor had a nice bridgeport mill. he was a tool maker. has a good bit of 3/4 and 1" drive stuff from his days fixing my brothers semi.
Make sure those tools get passed down. It takes a lifetime to accumulate a decent tool set. Your dad is lucky he has sons that can if they choose will appreciate what is there. I on the other hand am praying for a handy son-in-law or grandson LOL. Because I know my old lady will hold one hell of a big garage sale.
Sounds like you might be the handy one that would make use of them.
pretty easy. now that I did it. frt/rear manifold bolts are easy to get to. drop y-pipe, take out starter, unbolt oilpan. don’t have to touch the intake. you lift y-pipe with jack to align bolt hole so its not hard to get bolts aligned. the Taurus has a side exit manifold on firewall side. exhaust exits left and into cat and than drops straight down into y-pipe. fairly odd looking if you never work on Taurus’s.
Is this the one you were asking about the water pump job? How did the rest of it go?