i searched the forums a bit and didn't find much, so excuse me if i missed anything...

'97 blazer ls, 4.3 vortec, 4L60E, 4wd

is there a larger capacity spin-on filter that we can use? for the record, i've been using the purolator pl24011 and haven't had any problems.

 

No, the size you're using is the large one. I use Wix brand on mine and the 2wd Blazer gets one even shorter (but I use the one for the 4wd version like you do).