BBC fab valve covers

[Terry Cain]

Getting ready to get my car out (I hope). I know I'll need taller valve covers because of roller rockers. Like the look of the fabricated one's but, wanted the pro's and con's of them. Noticed on BBC there is two types available. 1 with short screws and 1 with long screws. Price seems to be ALL over the place too. Recommendations?

[Alan Roehrich]

I don't care for the fabricated valve covers. You simply pay a ton of money to look like the Pro Stock guys. Half of them hold oil in the rail and make a mess when you take them off. We have a set on the Super Stock engine, I get the urge to find a trash can for them every time I pull them off.

I'd just as soon have a decent set of die cast aluminum valve covers, they don't warp, and they don't leak. The only draw back, if it is one, is a couple of pounds of weight. If weight is a problem, stamped steel or stamped aluminum, with load spreaders, is the way to go. Just throw the load spreaders away every year or so, because they make them out of cheap steel, and then when they chrome them, they bake the heat treat right out of them, so they end up soft. It'd be great is some one would make some load spreaders out of spring steel or cold rolled steel, and just coat them, cad plate them, or iridite them, so they'd stay real stiff.

[Chad Rhodes]

Originally Posted by Terry Cain

Getting ready to get my car out (I hope). I know I'll need taller valve covers because of roller rockers. Like the look of the fabricated one's but, wanted the pro's and con's of them. Noticed on BBC there is two types available. 1 with short screws and 1 with long screws. Price seems to be ALL over the place too. Recommendations?

Terry, you're going to have to have the driver's side one notched.....ask how I know

[Terry Cain]

Chad,
@#!$ forgot about that. Grrr, ain't been nothing that would fit out of the box on these fiberglass cars.
After doing a little research, No one pays to run thier valve covers except MOPAR. How much trouble you think it would be to modify a set of Mopars to fit a BBC?
Alan,
Good point about oil laying in them. Need to get oil back to bottom ASAP.

[Chad Rhodes]

Originally Posted by Terry Cain

Chad,
@#!$ forgot about that. Grrr, ain't been nothing that would fit out of the box on these fiberglass cars.
After doing a little research, No one pays to run thier valve covers except MOPAR. How much trouble you think it would be to modify a set of Mopars to fit a BBC?
Alan,
Good point about oil laying in them. Need to get oil back to bottom ASAP.

That held oil will also start a fire if a gasket leaks. Once again, ask how I know

[Terry Cain]

OK Chad,
How do you know?

[Alan Roehrich]

Originally Posted by Chad Rhodes

Terry, you're going to have to have the driver's side one notched.....ask how I know

I seem to remember an episode about that ...............................

I was not around for the fire though ...................................

[Jeff Lee]

Originally Posted by Alan Roehrich

I don't care for the fabricated valve covers. You simply pay a ton of money to look like the Pro Stock guys. Half of them hold oil in the rail and make a mess when you take them off. We have a set on the Super Stock engine, I get the urge to find a trash can for them every time I pull them off.

I'd just as soon have a decent set of die cast aluminum valve covers, they don't warp, and they don't leak. The only draw back, if it is one, is a couple of pounds of weight. If weight is a problem, stamped steel or stamped aluminum, with load spreaders, is the way to go. Just throw the load spreaders away every year or so, because they make them out of cheap steel, and then when they chrome them, they bake the heat treat right out of them, so they end up soft. It'd be great is some one would make some load spreaders out of spring steel or cold rolled steel, and just coat them, cad plate them, or iridite them, so they'd stay real stiff.

I believe the original OEM load spreaders were Corvair items. Find some Chevrolet p/n for a Corvair, I'd imagine they are much better parts.

[Chad Rhodes]

Originally Posted by Terry Cain

OK Chad,
How do you know?

do NOT use a cork gasket, as the sharp edge on the aluminum will eventually cut them in half, it then becomes like a faucet onto the headers. Even with coated headers, it will start a fire on the return road. Thank God dad was able to put it out before it damaged anything. We use the rubber/steel core gaskets now and there is no problem, of course we probably ran the cork ones way too long

[Alan Roehrich]

Originally Posted by Jeff Lee

I believe the original OEM load spreaders were Corvair items. Find some Chevrolet p/n for a Corvair, I'd imagine they are much better parts.

Jeff, that is indeed correct. The problem is that they work well for a small block Chevy, and some other engines, but they don't work well on most big block Chevy valve covers.