Those 2 rear oil pan bolts

So I cleaned up the mating surface of the oil pan and block real well, put my 3mm bead of Reinzosil on the pan, bolted her up and then got to the final two bolts at the back of the pan, the ones that go through the bellhousing. So I've got the jack suppporting the subframe, the car on ramps and I start to get claustrophobic, panic sets in and I have to bail. I try going at it from a different angle, but I can't see the threaded hole, the bolt falls off the 5mm ball end allen socket and now it's down into the bellhousing. I could feel it, but have pushed it in further.

So now I have two problems, how do I get that bolt out of the bellhousing and now the rtv has cured and I don't have those two bolts installed and torqued.

I think I can get a small magnet on some kind of flexible do-dad to pull the bolt out, I hope.

Can I just install these two bolts once the subframe is bolted up without any leaks and is there a trick to getting those bolts up there without them falling off the wrench?

A 4-6" long ball end Allen bit with some grease on the tip will hold it in place.

I think you have the right idea about the magnet to get it out of there. They sell those at the autoparts store ....who hasn't dropped a bolt in somewhere like that.

I guess you will tell us if you can get the rear main to seal once the RTV is cured.
It should work like a rubber gasket that gets compressed on other oil pan applications but you won't know until you try. Like it says elsewhere in these forums...it always pays to do the hard to reach screws first if you can.

Thanks for response JETaah... I must admit I was hoping for a reply like... "No need to be concerned db123, that's the way I do it all the time and I've never had a leak! Well... I can only hope those vertical 16mm bolts compressed the rtv enough to form a good seal.

I'd say your fine. Those two are only a few inches apart. I'd go with it. Also a 10mm socket with quarter inch ratchet can get in there if I recall. One of mine stripped taking it off and I switched to the 10mm and was much better.

There's a slot in the flywheel/pp that makes this job so much easier. Make sure you turn the wheels and find it. Gives you that little bit of extra room you need.