I think you may be over thinking it. There are 10 Qrts of oil, more then enough for lubrication! The greater volume is needed for the cooling aspect (lots of pipes to fill and radiators up front). When you check the oil level on the dip stick, you are checking the oil tank not the engine (dry sump).
Oil flowing but fan not running is fine and normal, it is warm enough if flowing.
The first symptom of low oil will be overheating, which in turn will break down the lubrication capabilities of the oil and also induce heat failure into the engine parts. So if you are having trouble getting the car up to temp in the cooler months and you have oil in the proper range on the dip stick, then you have enough oil :-)
If worried about starting lubrication after sitting in cold temps, pull DME and crank over the engine to get the oil flowing, then reinsert DME and start engine. Common technique for garage queens.
Check out post #27 for how the whole system is connected and see what you are measuring.
Oil Flow Diagram