Jeff, great comments for a bowtie guy.
I would like to reiterate your comments on
oil temps. Engine
oil is designed to be fully functional at 212 degrees. It is also the temp that viscosity is determined at. I know of a few guys that run an
oil cooler without a stat. Temps for the couple that have oil temp gauges pretty closely follow the water temp or actually a little lower. In affect they are changing the viscosity of their oil and consequently is too think to be 100% effective because the oil is to cold. I don't know much about it, but I have heard about something called bearing wash when using oil that is to thick for the bearing clearances. This is the reason I run mobile one in my other cars. It gets to its viscosity much quicker than standard oil, especially in cold Chicago winters. Even then I still give the car several minutes to warm up the oil. Anyway, the point is that oil temp is critical and you really should have a gauge to monitor it, even with a stat.
I should also clarify that my oil pressures are without an oil cooler which I am presently installing, but my pump was designed for the added restriction. I should loose about 10-15 psi depending on the hose routing. Last year was my first full year of the car being sorted out and the oil temp on hot days was sometimes 250 degrees.