NizcortIt has a custom modified sump.
Oops.. missed that bit in your OP.
The engine sitting as it is has to be good thing. No doubt it's to do with getting the driveline angles as per factory, which is -3deg (max) from gearbox to tailshaft, and +3deg (max) from tailshaft to diff. Have seen some SR's in Escorts sitting at about -10deg!!
In saying that, the SR leans towards the passenger side in factory guise, and yours is flat, which would make the gear shifter lean more towards the driver in the cabin (could be good thing if you like the shifter closer to you). But that's not important, the driveline angles are much more important to get correct.
Read the article below for a very simple description on what I'm on about.
http://www.streetrodderweb.com/tech/0203sr_drive_shaft_angles/index.html