I was planning on relocating my oil filter to make it easier to change - the reason being is that I have the Gamma oil pan and the 12+ OEM oil cooler which makes the oil filter location a bit crowded. I ended up deciding to delete the OEM oil cooler instead of relocating the oil filter...
I did spend some time figuring out how to go about this without a kit and also ordered all the necessary parts so I figured I would post the information to help anyone attempting this in the future.
What you need:
Oil Bypass Adapter - 20mm x 1.5mm thread
Mocal also calls this part a "Take-off Plate".
The OEM oil filter location has a 20mm x 1.5mm thread oil filter stud (the big hollow threaded stud that your filter screws on to). Any bypass adapter with this spec will fit onto the motor.
Remote Filter Mount
This is the end that the filter mounts to. Most of the ones you find will take a standard ford or chevy filter. Summit sells one by Canton Racing that is the same 20mm x 1.5mm thread so you can use OEM filters if you want, though it is quite a bit more expensive.
Hoses and hose ends
The hoses can be DIY fabbed. You can buy a length of it, cut it down to size, and install the hose ends yourself without specialized tools. There are youtube videos that can show you how it is done. Seems like most oil filter kits for the Z use -10AN hose, so that was what I planned to use. The hoses come in steel braided, abrasion resistant, plain rubber, etc.
Some notes:- Most the the bypass adapters and filter mounts you find will be cast parts... I do not recommend buying these! I bought a bunch of them in different configurations, and all of them had imperfections on the mating surfaces that I do not think are acceptable. Billet parts are only a little more expensive, but are flawless!
- At first I thought about spending more to get a remote filter mount that fit the OEM filter... but I think its better to go with one of the universals that fit the ford or chevy filter.. There is a better filter (and mount!) selection, and there are some nice really big racing filters that fit those.
- A lot of the nice relocation kits I see use NPT-to-AN adapters on the adapter and mount, then AN hose ends to connect to them... However, you could eliminate that extra adapter by just getting NPT hose ends for your AN hose.
- Using quality parts, this project will cost in the $150+ neighborhood. That can easily go up if you buy really blingy parts.
- You're on your own to figure out a bracket for your oil filter mount.
- Some filter mounts and bypass adapters include 1/8" NPT ports for sensors if you want to add gauges.
- I'd recommend getting stainless braided hoses as you want these lines to be as protected as possible... You don't want to run over something that severs the main oil artery.
- At one point I thought about locating the filter where the washer fluid reservoir used to be... But then I realized I didn't want a minor fender bender to result in spilling out the entirety of my engine oil. Keep safety in mind where you locate the filter and make sure it isn't going to be too exposed.
- Some places to find this stuff: summitracing.com, holley.com, batinc.com (Mocal).
I bought a ton of parts from summit because returning the unused stuff is really easy with them. Before packing them up to return I took some pictures for you guys. One thing that surprised me - these parts are quite a bit bigger than I had originally expected them to be. Places I had considered mounting the filter were less viable after I saw the size.
Here is the Summit branded billet filter mount... It's a really beautiful piece. Makes you want to mount the filter somewhere it will be seen! It takes a chevy size filter and costs about twice as much as a crappy cast piece ($50 vs ~$25)
Here is the billet Earl's Performance bypass adapter. It also feels like a quality piece.. and only $15 more than the crappy cast version.
Here is one of the crappy cast oil filter mounts. This one was made by "Perma-Cool". I bought two others (with ports in different orientations) and they were all just as (or more) crappy. See imperfections on the mating surface. These fit a common ford filter.
Comparison of the Summit billet part vs the cast part.
This is the cast bypass adapter made by Derale. You can see some substantial gouges on the mating side, though the o-ring is the sealing surface. Also the threads are an ill fitting nut that is held on with a flimsy retention ring. This does not feel like a quality part.
A length of Summit branded SS braided -10AN hose.
Summit branded -10AN hose end, 90 degree 1/2" NPT.
Straight and 45 degree versions too.
Hope this helps someone! If it does, feel free to share a rep =)