Smitty, this is my second year running the oil system that way. My oil pressure sender is at the front of the block as far as you can get from the pump. It reads 80 on startup, 65 running warmed up. If there was stuff plugging the filter, it would show on the oil pressure gauges, I would loose pressure. So far, it hasn't happened at all. My filter doesn't have a bypass either.

As a side note, I had the hoses reversed when I put the engines together this spring. When I prelubed the engine, you could tell instantly something was wrong even before looking at the pressure gauge. No oil at all makes it past the anti drainback valve in the filter. Starting it with the hoses hooked up wrong means sudden death for the engine.

Patriyacht,i built a pontiac engine once with bypass plugged with std filter and it wore the distributer gear FAST and blew a filter apart once on cold start-up so ive been gunshy since to run anything without some kind of bypass somewhere. How did you plug your outer holes in gen 6 block as i just looked at mine for to answer this guys question and 1/2 inch npt would be too big unless you bored hole out plus it would only have about 3 threads. If a guy was intent on doing it i know you could find a cup plug the right diameter and drive it in hole,Smitty

My engines are gen5's and they were plugged at the shop that did the block machining. I really don't know how they did it. I thought the guy said he used pipe plugs. Want me to check? I'm not too worried abot the dist. gear, they looked good when the engines were apart this winter. I am surprised you were able to blow up an oil filter, thats a lot of oil pressure. The oil pump does have a pressure bypass. I run 15-50 syn. oil, maybe 40 or 50 weight would be thick enough to push the cold pressure up.

Hows that boat running Ian? It will be my first ride on a BLACK THUNDER!!!!After riding in luxury on it i will be ruined,i can't hardly imagine seeing a 4 foot wave and not cringing waiting for my spine to be pile driven into pain which i've done soo many times on my damn Baja!! We have spent the night on Mackinaw island before on it and woke up to the howling of wind knowing we have a miserable hell ride ahead of us going back to cheboyagan!! Smitty

It is a smooth ride. I hope it's not to boring riding in the 60's and not getting bounced around.

60??Don't all them big boats run about 140? Everyone thats never owned or ridden in a boat seems to think that!!Smitty