Got the word from the engine builder. He sent out the oil filter to a shop that tests the oil and determines what's in it. Showed lead in the oil, which means a bearing going bad.
So, out with the engine ( again ). I guess what happened with the oil filter is that it totally disintegrated, and all kinds of plastic material used in the oil filter just went everywhere, probably blocking some oil passages, etc. Not pretty. I gotta hand it to the engine builder, though. The engine is coming out tomorrow morning, and will be at his shop in the afternoon. With luck ( and 'cause he keeps a lot of big-block mopar engine parts around ), I'll have it re-installed by Sunday. He's pretty much going all out to see that I'm satisfied, and I totally appreciate that. I'd recommend him for engine rebuilds, no doubt about it. Anyway, that's the latest.
You know, here I thought that Fram was always a good product, but apparently not. I'm hearing horror stories from you guys as well as other gearhead friends of mine. And yeah, Fram's going to get a nice letter from me on this matter. They probably won't do a damn thing about it ( or maybe they'll be kind enough to offer me a replacement oil filter, which I will not so politely decline! ) Thanks for all the feedback and commiseration, I'll keep you all posted.