Has anyone drilled a hole in the stock pan and had a nut tacked or welded in? The recessed area is there, just no plug. I guess GM wanted to save a couple bucks per truck at the cost of convenience. Would a welding shop know how to weld to the aluminum? I have an OEM deep pan, but I am not installing it without a plug because I've bathed in transmission fluid one too many times.

 

the stock pan is steel...
my 80E doesnt have a drain either...

 

So steel is easy to weld a nut to?

 

To me it is..
i havent welded much aluminum at all, its not as easy as steel.

 

If you get lucky you might be able to find an OEM pan with a factory plug. They are rare but they do exist...I got lucky my truck has one.