Assembling the new FD bridgey shortly, what else can I do to increase it's lifespan and encourage oil to get where it's suppose to?

 

I've added windows on bearings that didn't have them. I've brought the oil out of the engine through the galley in the front iron, bypassing the front cover. I've brought oil out BOTH the front cover and the side galley to run dual coolers.

On the return I either bring oil back to the front plate and stock return or just to the stock return depending on the oil filter set up. I just made a combination banjo bolt/AN fitting out of a stock bolt so I can return two circuits to one spot.

I never buy motorsports regulators. After many engines where I did the old "press the cone in" trick on a stock regulator to raise the pressure I cut the cone off now and weld a nut to the end of the regulator. I then turn a bolt down to hold the spring centered and take the head down to small flats. Probably could use a cap screw next time... I also add another hole for the oil to bleed from the regulator. I test the 'crack open' pressure using a fluid filled hose attached to the feed side and air pressure behind that. They hold the pressure I set them to wthin a couple pounds hot or cold which is 105psi.

There isn't much to do with the galleys inside the engine, keep it simple.

 

There are, however, some things you can do OUTSIDE the galleys.

I can't wait to get my latest engine failure apart. Loss of compression occured over a competiton weekend, and compression loss corresponded with the (fresh) oil going progressively darker. There's black sludge in the oil filter housing, not sure if this is iron dust from rotor/housing contact (killed another NEW set of corner seal springs, which were on NEW corner seals?) or if it's bearing material that got shaved off.

This engine, oiling-wise, just had a crushed regulator, blueprinted oil pump with RX-8 front cover gasket (no O-ring to escape!), and a teardropped GSL-SE eccentric shaft.