Just bought an iroc and it came with some cheap chrome valve covers ive already been through 2 sets of gaskets and i cant stop the leak.

Last night i stuffed in a rubber felpro gasket and then used some mega black oil resisting silicone, i put a ton of silicone on the damn thing and i drove it to work this morning, it seems like the problem is fixed but i see it as a temp solution and would like to get advice on a good set of valve covers for a 350 sbc, and good set of gaskets to go along with them..

Which material works best when it comes to durability? Steel or aluminum?

Cork or rubber gaskets?

Any help appreciated.

 

These work well...

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PRO-141-750/

Add a set of these to keep the holes from getting sodomized, like your current ones probably are

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PRO-141-757/

 

Thanks man which gaskets do u recommend me using? I think that may be another factor in the oil leaking.

 

You need a thick flange of billet aluminum.

to easy still on fancy stamped steel to warp them if you go nuts on valve cover bolts.

I like cork if you can get it, very thin layer of silicone to secure them to the covers, let it dry, then a thin layer on gasket and a super clean gasket area on head, put the cover on and just put in the bolts barley finger tight, wait n hr for the silicone to dry, then torque down even.

 

I use either the FelPro rubber ones, or the Moroso ones that are some kind of blue material with a metal stiffener.

I avoid cork always and altogether for all uses in all engines at all times. I NEVER EVER put a piece of it in a motor unless there is absolutely no alternative, which basically means, NEVER. Just like, it's no big deal if a blade of grass or a leaf accidentally falls into an engine if I'm working on it outdoors and don't happen to notice it (in small quantities of course, I keep stuff as clean as practical), because I can be quite sure it's going to disintegrate quickly; but, that's all that cork is, is tree bark. It disintegrates just as bad as any other piece of tree bark would when subjected to engine conditions. Coming out of a box that says "gasket" on the side doesn't somehow promote it from the Stone Age and into modernity.

I put em on with gorilla snot on the valve cover and on the gasket separately, let em dry apart for 20 or 30 minutes, then lay the gasket in; then either grease or gorilla snot between the gasket and the head depending on whether I think I might ever need to get back in there without replacing the gasket. Which means, usually, gorilla snot.