splash-shield for starter motor

[Fritz1]

I bought my truck when my friend could not get it started. The starter motor was dead and he decided to sell it. I pulled it out, took it apart and discovered oil inside and the commutator was carbonized. So I got another starter and put it on. I don't understand why someone would design the starter motor to be the splash-shield for the oil-filter. My truck is a 2000, 3.0L and the filter appears to mount almost flush to the block, right above a $150 starter, oh, that's for a rebuilt. At least dying from corrosion is not likely.
The filter is one of those dinky things designed to catch loose hardware and rocks. It's in a bad location, at an odd angle where it's difficult to get at. I've had worse.
I saw an older post about a splash shield but it's on a newer model. Would this same shield mount on my truck?
If not, is there an offset mount that would extend out past the starter with the filter face pointing downward so the filter could just screw-on/off without spilling?

 

[pjtoledo]

the mighty 3.0 was designed to be transverse mounted front wheel drive.
that being said, in FWD the filter is right in front, easy to get to above the front crossmember and behind a couple coolers as well as being perfectly
positioned above the starter.

at least in Taurus's we could put a piece of plastic over it during oil changes.
I used the side of a bleach bottle. the ridges kept the oil from spilling over the sides.

there is supposed to be a plastic shield/funnel under the filter. while clumsy it does catch most of the oil from the filter.
even has an attached tube to guide the oil past the frame.

 

[Fritz1]

The shield in the drawing had bolt holes on the engine to mount to. Do you think a year 2000 would have the same holes?

 

[racsan]

Im not sure about the 3.0 in the ranger chassis but the one in my 93 taurus I was able to put the bigger “FL 1A” filter on, doesnt help your issue but that being said maybe you could utilize a filter relocation kit meant for another engine that also used the older full-size filter.

 

[pjtoledo]

The shield in the drawing had bolt holes on the engine to mount to. Do you think a year 2000 would have the same holes?

my 2000 had the holes & shield from the factory.
on certain years a bolt/stud is 8mm, others 10mm.

 

[bobbywalter]

 

[Josh B]

I keep a spare starter in the tool box, and in the 12 plus years it's been there not an ill chirp from the starter, there's also at least 2 or 3 under the work bench, plus 3 or more alternators.
If your old starter was worth cleaning up it was worth hanging on to, they got to be looking bad not to be rebuildable

 

[stmitch]

I used a universal filter relocation kit from Summit to move my filter to the frame rail