just looking around and i noticed that i have a slow leak around the oil filter area. i was just wondering if there were any gaskets or o-rings around that area for either the stud or the oil cooler.

 

try to determine if it is leaking at the base of the oil filter (between the oil filter gasket and the oil cooler mating surface), or from behind the oil cooler where it mates with the block ?. Chances are it is just the filter. Id remove the filter and re-install it to spec tightness (7/8ths of a turn, or torque) make sure there isn't a double gasket situation under the filter where the gasket from the previous filter is still stuck on the filter mating surface. If it is the oil cooler that is leaking there is a nut and tube at the face of the cooler that can be tightened to mate the cooler to the block tightly. I believe there is an o-ring behind the oil cooler but those rarely fail. Those would be the things I'd check.