The best way I have found to remove the dipstick, is to put something in the tube that is a close fit, like a bolt with a long shank, then clamp a Visegrips on the tube HARD, then twist and pull.
After it's out, you can fix what got roughed up, and make it round again.
However, there is no telling how much force it will take to pull it out, and once you start, you're sorta committed. Therefore, I highly recommend to not try to pull it out. It's much easier to just modify the dipstick.
No matter what, you gotta keep the oil off the crank.
> For a modest-powered streeter,
IMO; Five quarts is enough oil in any street-pan, as long as the pick-up is on the bottom and is NOT full of old valve seals and RTV sealer.
I run a 7qt Roadrace-pan; and most of the time with about 5.5qts in it, just to get the oil away from the crank. and yes, I have a hi-volume pump, and yes the stick was carefully recalibrated by physically notching it with a file.
If the oil-level gets up onto the crank, you will have problems. It's bad enough that the oil rains down onto it from above.
And finally, IMHO, you do not need anything more than 10W30. I tried heavier oils and just ended up making a mess on the pavement, when the oil-filter blew off the pad at rpm.
Just make sure that if you are running Flat Tappets that your oil has enough ZDDP in it, to prevent the lifters from going flat. When that starts, the cam is only seconds from being trash. It happens really fast.