OK, so the shop I'm calling the "hosers" is where the '68 Camaro crowd USED to go, when under original ownership... today I stopped by the new trusted shop for the classic car crowd, too late in the day for them to work on it, but they said oil drain plug probably A-OK, just "stuck" from being undisturbed for SO LONG, plus COLD engine... said if it had been cross-threaded it'd be leaking... said there's certain Ford ALUMINUM oil pans that can be "hurt", but that the steel jobbies on the Rangers can't really be bunged up... said "hoser" shop is still pretty good (except on my PVH hub issue!), that they even send them some work, and they (hosers) would never take an air tool to an oil plug...
... this weekend I'll add a pipe to my breaker bar, and/or get someone withOUT a hernia to give it a tug!