Oil Filter . . . not bad BUT it might be hard to find a flaky engine oil filter at this point in time. I suspect that as flaky as some less expensive brands might be, many of them will be better (as to filtering media and such) as some of the better brands used to be when the car was new. Many of the brands have been cut open to see what is inside, but that was many years ago and things could have changed since then!
As maligned as WIX has become in the more current times, as WIX was sold by Dana Corporation to a larger world-wide filter manufacturer, it CAN still be a good choice. Available in many places, as NAPA and such.
Using an oil filter marketed by a large oil company can have some merit, but is more about the oil company wanting to sell complimentary products to their motor oil, more than anything else, to me. Purolator is another long-time brand that appears to make some OEM-level products, too. As a default mode, using a brand of filter sold by an automotive OEM for THEIR products can be a good deal too! In this area, one of the most common brands was the Motorcraft/Ford FL-1A filter. Every town would have a Ford dealership, by observation, so most of the service stations usually carried the Ford-brand filters in stock for their oil changes. For GM vehicles, AC filters. The stations which did our oil changes, back then usually had both the "long" and "short" Ford-brand, Chrysler application, filters in stock.
Oil drain plug gaskets . . . the opaque white gaskets pictured were OEM years ago.
They will conform to the contours of the sealing surface. In later years, a better seal has evolved. GM used it. A metal core with a redish rubber inner sealing surface, which had to be screwed onto the drain plug, then a slightly wider rubber area would contact the drain plug and the oil pan for a very reliable seal. A bit more expensive, but worth it when you put both ones side by side. OEM application was GM engines of the 1990s and later, as I recall. Same size as the Chrysler drain plugs, too. Not sure what Chrysler uses now, or Ford, FWIW.
MAHLE is a German OEM brand which has expanded in recent decades by seeming to buy-up the old-line USA OEM brands. Nothing wrong there.
ALL rubberized cork gaskets, even OEM brands, WILL SEEP OIL over time. No matter what, just the nature of the beast. How long it takes will depend upon the brand of oil! The brands of oil which cause seeps are generally the same brands that will get into the nooks and crannies of the engine to lubricate there first, which is good for lubrication. Adding more tightening torque will not change anything, by observation, especially once it starts.
The simple and quick fix is to, as I came to realize back in the 1990s, is to use high-heat silicone sealer to "seal" the cork from the motor oil. I started to put a thin, skin coat of sealer onto the cork, covering all 4 sides with it, smeared on with my finger, leaving some fingerprint-type texture in it, letting it cure over-night, and then installing it. NO seeps for decades. Even a low-quality rubberized cork gasket will work. As to the end seals, they go in dry/no sealer.
Now . . . with all of that out of the way . . . just WHERE is the oil drip originating from? You can spray things down with brake cleaner and see where the trail originates from. If it is dripping off of the drain plug, that is the lowest point it can drip from, so that is where it collects. Yet that might NOT be where it started from. You can also wipe things down with a clean paper towel or similar, too. Then a spritz of brake clean to remove the last traces of oil. Then watch it over the next weeks. It MIGHT just be that all you need is a new drain plug gasket!!! That is the easiest and cheapest place to start, too.
Is there not an auto supply near you? THAT would be a good place to start, initially. The brands they carry, generally, will be brands which they have sold which their customers get very good service out of, even if they might not be "name brand" brands or the rices might be a little bit more than an online seller puts on similar items. PLUS, it can get you into a local network of (hopefully) people who know more about cars and things, too, although this can be variable. Even if it might seem that most of these people just know how to follow the prompts of their computer systems rather than good knowledge in their brains, by observation.
Watching YouTube videos can be great for general information. JUST be aware that what they show in that several minute "short" video took hours to film and document. NOT the 45 seconds or so of what is shown!!! Which can raise the question of "How hard can it really be?" LOL
Back in the 1980s, I was going to change the stock 4bbl intake on my '67 383 4bbl to an Edelbrock intake. I looked in the manual to see how much time it might take. No problem! No water to deal or distributor removal. I looked in the FSM to see how to do it. My plan was to do it after dinner each night. Ended up taking me "1 night/flat rate hour" to get it done. And then some as I had to get some linkage adapters and such, too. After it was all done, I was proud of what I had done! Even if it took me most of the week-nights after dinner to get it done. SO, be advised!!!! One issue I had was that the OEM bolt under the throttle spring holder would not tighten up with the new manifold. Swapped bolts of the same length. The one on the other side had no issues, so why did this one? Threads looked fine, BUT a new bolt of the same size went right in and tightened as desired.
Sorry for the length. FIRST clean things and look for where the drops are starting. If all it needs is a new drain plug gasket, change that first! Might not need the whole gasket changed! i I understand your concerns in asking questions. IF it is the oil pan gasket, you might spray it down with brake clean and check the bolt tightness by just snugging things up with wrist torque. Once the oil seep starts, you might slow it down, but not stop it, by observation.
Enjoy!
CBODY67
