Thanks Y'all !
I think the drain every third change is a good one.
I dropped the pan when I first bought it, just to see how things looked and it was pretty much free of gunk/etc. Mechanic was very pleased with the overall shape of things then and when doing the timing chain at 112k.

I have to say the Topsider is nice, I would prefer something larger by a half gallon or so. I've seen a tall white/opaque plastic unit for sale at a few places but got a deal on the Topsider so decided to give it a try....basically it pays for itself in 2 uses. Wish I would have bought it back when I had the Mastercraft....it would have saved me alot of $ in oilchanges with the dockside dealer.

__________________
Bryan Harter
1992 500E Smoke Silver
2002 CLK55 AMG Cab Silver/Black
2001 Harley Fatboy - Pearl White
2004 F150 FX4 Silver/Grey
1969 GTO Liberty Blue
1956 F100 Black