i have the s/r torquer 305 heads the 87+ design that will take the center bolt and older style valve covers, when i try to install center bolt valve covers, they dont seal against the head, in the instructions it says to shave the valve cover rail, and it wasnt very clear, so i called world products and this guy said i have to shave the valve cover itself?, anyone running centerbolts on these? are there thicker gaskets i can get?

 

If the heads have the perimeter bolt bosses (mine did), you have to grind those flush to the gasket rail for the centerbolt cover to fit down.

This I did before assemblying the heads. After installing the engine I discovered the covers did not fit between the gasket rails (the oil pouring out onto the headers was my first clue). I measured the cover rails and head rails, and discovered the stock 1987 LB9 covers were about 1/8" wider than the heads. I put the perimeter covers back on until I could figure things out - with the bolt bosses mostly gone, that was a challenge (another way of saying they never sealed properly). When I discussed the situation with World, they said they had a pair of early 90's truck covers for a "check tool" - apparently, the factory wasn't completely consistent with their cover dimensions. By the time all this had taken place, I had already gotten rid of the LB9 heads (one of which was actually an LO3 head), so I couldn't measure them to confirm that they were wider than the Worlds.

After getting tired of the oil drips, I saw a pair of Spectre valve covers at Checker. I had them pull them from the packaging to measure the gasket rails, and they were of the smaller dimension. I put them on and have had no further problems.

I would not recommend a thicker gasket or stacking gaskets. The covers aren't really designed to accommodate something like that.

 

I also would not recommend shaving the centerbolt covers. If you do that, there won't be anything to keep the gasket where it belongs. I suppose you could just do that where the perimeter bolt bosses are, but that won't solve the problem if the rails are wider on the covers than they are on the heads.

 

so uhhh i should just retain my old style valve covers then?

damn i got a good deal on some corvette centerbolts

 

Probably a good idea to keep the perimeters. Easiest, for sure.

 

My center bolt valve covers do fit, but the center bolts are too long to ever make the gasket seat. Or should I say that World screwed up and did not drill and tap the holes deeply enough...

If you are going to use center bolts covers with these heads, your center bolts may be 1/8 to 1/4 inch too long, mine are.... I don't know if drilling and re-tapping the heads is a better option than cutting the bolts off or not.

 

well, it's not a bolt problem, the center bolts have an "inner rail" and outter rail that sandwiches the gasket, this inner rail doesnt fit between the head rail, it's total crap, i bought these heads a few years ago specifically for that reason, and i cant use them without grinding this or that a certain amount, i'm sticking with the perimiter style seeing as they just go on.

 

I understand what you are saying, but my issue isn't a fit problem, they actually do fit properly. My issue is that the center bolts are too long to compress the gasket. They do not thread down far enough into the head to seat at all. If I place four extra spacer washers on each center bolt, they will tighten down enough to compress the gasket properly.

They do fit tightly because the valve cover rails are just barely able to fit inside the seal lip on the head, but they do fit with my stock valve covers.

 

I had a similar problem with the rocker studs bosses not being completely tapped. It costed me $5.00 for a tap and die set and its fine now.

 

I bought a tap for these threads as well, unfortunately it looks like the holes aren't deep enough to add any more threads to them.

I don't feel very comfortable with drilling the holes deeper at this point. The heads are already installed on the engine, and I'd hate to get any metal chips into any of the moving engine parts...

I'm thinking that I should just cut the bolts off a bit and call it good.

 

I didnt have a problem with the holes being deep enough but Im using perimeter vlave covers anyhow. I say cut the bolts and be done with it.

 

That's the first I've heard of that problem. Both the factory bolts and the aftermarket wire loom bolts I used tightened down with no problems.

It seems World has good designs and castings, but their machining details can leave a little to be desired.

 

I don't know what's up with those folks at World... They still drill & tap the wrong size hole for the temp switch too...

 

Im sorry but I got confused because mine are pro topline torkers. But seems like they suffer from the same machine work. I know the topline heads also have problems with the lip on the edelbrock valve covers.

 

Yes I have read you have to use some kind of adapter, what a crock and they are aware of the problem.

 

Now that I'm looking at my heads I can see that they did not even drill/tap the cast bosses for the perimeter type valve covers. Odd.......

 

The adapter you need (I had the exact same question as I added S/R Torquer 305's this past Summer) is a pipe bushing, easily found at Home Depot. That part about forgetting to drill and tap the bosses really blows. Mine actually went on OK, but the temp sending unit/fan switch holes were one npt size too large. Good luck.