ok, so i got low profile aluminum valve covers and they wouldnt clear the hard fuel lines near the alternator or the terminal on the alternator itself. Come to think of it, i really shouldnt be surprised since the stock tin foil ones just barely squeek by. Does any one make stamped steel ones that actually have some meat to them and still are close to the dimentions of the stock stuff? Id use a girdle but i dont think id ahve enough room because of the fuel lines so my only other options are getting aftermarket steel ones or jsut dealing with the leaks.

 

Aluminum ones always have a lot more "beef." Might be causing the problems.

I've always had good luck with Edlebrock valve covers, but they're not EXACTLY like stock, either.

 

gm performance parts sells some real nice stamped steel valve covers, with a chrome finish, in either regular or tall heights. they are nice and thick and have factory style baffles and oil/pcv holes in the correct spots. ie. not right above the rockers. i picked up my tall version for $90 canadian here in London.

 

found out why it was leaking so much. Even though i took great pains to position the gasket with daps of quicksetting adhesive, it still managed to shift around when i was putting on the pass. side cover. Theres so much garbage on that side of the motor its next to impossible to get teh cover on. The portion of the gasket between the two bolts actually got stretched over one of the rocker arms and ripped to shreds as soon as the engine was started. OIf coarse, i cant see whats wrong because of all the CRAP running over the top of the valve cover.

Went out, got a set of the edelbrock valvecovers, banged a dent int he corner so theyd clear the terminal ont he alternator, and very gingerly installed them and made damn sure the gaskets didnt shift. So far, so good.

 

a few things you should know

[1] synthetic oil desolves that yellow 3m weatherstrip gasket adhesive than many guys use over a few months time so you cant use it to glue valve cover gaskets

[2]you must use a o2 safe gasket cement like the BLACK RTV silicone cement and you must clean and degrease the cover with acetone or a similar solvent before glueing on the gasket to get the best retention

[3]you need to allow at least a few hours to over night,depends mostly on temp. for that black silicone gasket cement to set up before installing the valve covers, and placeing them gasket side down on a table with a sheet of wax paper under them and a 20lb weight on top of each valve cover while the cement sets up is the best way to insure the gaskets stay correctly aligned on the valve covers perimeter

[4]a light coat of (PAM) cooking spray on the lower gasket surface keeps them from sticking to the cylinder heads after installation

[5] these gasket retaining rings add a great deal to the valve covers ability to firmly hold the gasket WITHOUT bending SHEET METAL VALVE COVERS OR CRACKING CAST ALUMINUM VALVE COVERS AND ARE WELL WORTH THE MINIMAL COST

[6]doing it correctly the first time saves time and money


http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerc...07&prmenbr=361

 

i used the felpro neoprine rubber gaskets and they didnt recommend the rtv, just a few small dabs of quick-setting (two minute setup time is what they said) glue to anchor them in place. I really want to run the girdle but there jsut isnt any clearence ont he drivers side valvecover due to the fact that the fuel lines sit inbetween the alternator and the lip of the valve cover. theres jsut enough clearence for the cover by itself and no more. I didnt know about the pam thing. Ill have to keep that in mind. When i torqued the botls down i was very careful not to overtorque them so the covers didnt bend and they seem to be making a good seal. Hopefully i wont have the problems i had with the cork ones witht he gasket compressing down over time and causing leaks.