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I'm just thinking if it is really needed now a days with ]detergent oil being the standard

Maybe so if you knew the engine had good quality detergent oil from the day it was first put into service and had regular changes ever since. But in the case of my '56, never off the road and well-cared for all it's life, when I dropped the pan at about 95,000 miles the pan sludge was just beginning to choke the oil pump intake screen. For the cost of a pan gasket and a few hours labor I'd never take the chance.

I also lean toward the remove and check just to be sure if there is the least doubt. I had a bad experience with sludge buildup on the first Packard I bought. Although it was my own doing, the results did cause an engine rebuild I hadn't planned on.

I did not remove the pan on a high mileage V8 but it had been sitting so did need to have stuck valves taken care of. The heads were quite dirty and I should have been smarter and figured the pan was full of crud too. At any rate, the heads went to the shop and when they came back nice and clean I followed some advise to use a mixture of kerosene and oil to get the rest of the engine clean. Big mistake. The sludge was freed, clogged the oil passages and the bearings suffered. It only took a few miles before the engine started sounding off and damage was done.

From then on I have been a believer that if the heads or valve chambers are dirty remove the pan and see how bad the rest is. Above all don't arbitrarily use a solvent to just clean it out if you see a lot of buildup.

We have let common sense guide us for 56 years, probably have owned 400 collector and high mileage used cars for daily transportation. When the valve chamber is cruddy we clean it and the pan, otherwise we just change the oil. Never flushed with solvent to "clean" the engine.

Never lost or suffered damage to an engine.

As you know, I like to find the truth, whether it is with the Treadle Vac "problem" or engine pan removal etc etc

We have let common sense guide us for 56 years, probably have owned 400 collector and high mileage used cars for daily transportation. When the valve chamber is cruddy we clean it and the pan, otherwise we just change the oil. Never flushed with solvent to "clean" the engine.

Never lost or suffered damage to an engine.

As you know, I like to find the truth, whether it is with the Treadle Vac "problem" or engine pan removal etc etc

When I purchased my car I opted to have it delivered instead of driving it back.(From Conn. to Detroit.)I only drove it 335 miles till it went in for the body work. The oil looked clean. But when I pulled the pan during the resto there was 1/4 inch of sludge in it. And I cleaned out all sludge I could reach at that time. I also quickly did an oil change on getting it back on the road. Followed by another quick one and another new filter. I have not had any problems. My engine runs better than any car I have ever owned!

The 1/4" of sludge would not have caused any problem so it could have safely been left. But if you're taking the car apart to restore it might as well pull the pan and renew the gasket

Of course, more sludge = less cooling of the oil !
Unless you have a separate oil conditioner fitted.

The oil is cooled by the water flowing through the engine, the sludge is far away from the water jackets and will not effect the heat transfer to the water. There is some heat transfer through the bottom of the pan to the air but that is minimal compared to the water cooling.

Not an issue

What about such things as using Rislone or CD2 in these engines to help clean the engine?
John

So Fred, as always we often get off topic, so what was your final count? Two engines destroyed without pulling the pan on a new purchase of an old car?
Wes