As I was crawling around the Firebird, I was amazed at how dry the pan was after 18 years. The next time I'm under (I was too lazy to roll out, get the sockets, and roll back under) the car, I'm going to check the bolts. If you're luckey, maybe you can get away with snugging up the bolts.

I've done an oil pan, twice, with the engine in the car. As Vikki says, I think that if you drop the center link, the pan will slide out.