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Technical SBC valve covers

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by binderbart, Feb 12, 2016.

  1. Mr48chev
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 33,861

    Mr48chev
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Id say that the gent giving you the info was old enough to remember trying to stick a pair of 327 valve covers on a stagger pattern 283 or 265.

    I had a buddy in the mid 60's that got a great deal on a pair of 327 Corvette valve covers and then discovered they wouldn't fit his 56 265. He ended up swapping the heads for later power pack heads to get them to work. I somehow dropped by just about the time the valves needed to be adjusted after the head swap. I think with everything he still didn't have much more in the setup than new covers were selling for at the Chev garage.
     
  2. Budget36
    Joined: Nov 29, 2014
    Posts: 13,173

    Budget36
    Member

    Well, yes and no;)
     
  3. Duke
    Joined: Mar 21, 2001
    Posts: 834

    Duke
    Member

    They are staggered pattern only. The newer covers were a sticker. The tube is not original that I know of (mine don't have it).
     
  4. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    With the recent "news", come July or shortly thereafter, I guess these are probably gonna just end up as some expensive wall art...:(
    DSCF0078[1].jpg
     
  5. 56sedandelivery
    Joined: Nov 21, 2006
    Posts: 6,695

    56sedandelivery
    Member Emeritus

    What you have to do, is look at the valve cover and compare them,, from the ENDS; you'll see a slight variation in the shape of the "towers". One way they clear the rockers, the other way they don't with all the rockers. I had an end rocker wear through on my OT, DD truck; no noise was involved, and it was't until it was obvious oil was leaking from somewhere that I noticed the wear through. The boxy, 327 covers look the same from the ends however. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
     
  6. Budget36
    Joined: Nov 29, 2014
    Posts: 13,173

    Budget36
    Member

    What "news"?
     
  7. DDDenny
    Joined: Feb 6, 2015
    Posts: 19,137

    DDDenny
    Member
    from oregon

    Scotty, regarding the finned covers I submitted the photo of.
    I'm not sure my statement referring to the covers having staggered bolt pattern is correct.
    Do you have any other photos of those black Mercruiser valve covers?
    Are they straight or staggered pattern?
     
  8. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    google search "epa sema speedtalk"
     
  9. El Caballo
    Joined: Mar 3, 2001
    Posts: 6,283

    El Caballo
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Its to drain the oil on Australian models.
     
    lurker mick and Budget36 like this.
  10. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    :D:D
     
  11. :D:D:D:D

    @falcongeorge I have needed one on a combustion chamber before too. The last time was in the late '90s. I had a pair of open chamber 400 heads that a crack opened up in the #8 combustion chamber, never seen that happen before. You should have seen the water that we were pumping out of the header. :eek: :D
     
  12. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    Passive exhaust valve cooling....:confused::D
     
  13. deuceman32
    Joined: Oct 23, 2007
    Posts: 459

    deuceman32
    Member

    Here is a shot of the "straight across" Canadian Pontiac 283 vc courtesy of Aubrey Bruneau who sells repop stickers for them.

    s-l1600 (14).jpg
     
    Stogy likes this.
  14. ol55
    Joined: Oct 1, 2008
    Posts: 499

    ol55
    Member
    from Virginia

    Are you referring to the difference between the 283 and 327 covers? Can the 283 covers be used on the 327?
     
  15. 56sedandelivery
    Joined: Nov 21, 2006
    Posts: 6,695

    56sedandelivery
    Member Emeritus

    Of course, as long as they are the same bolt pattern and oriented correctly for rocker arm clearance. I casn't post photos; I thought someone else might have some taken from the "ends". The boxy 300 HP and up 327 covers can be used on the same head, and turned around; you can't always get away with that with other covers.
    I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
     
  16. theHIGHLANDER
    Joined: Jun 3, 2005
    Posts: 10,245

    theHIGHLANDER
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Wow, it only takes one guy to make a mountain of a mole hill. Aftermarket straight pattern valve covers? Stick em on anything 59 to 86, either side. Restoration shit would be different, or maybe finding a kool pair of stockers you'd wanna use, worth looking into it. Gotta love those one time experts who live under an uninformed ignorant assumption for life.

    July news? Sorry kids, but I'll go to federal prison before some pud pounding govt dept is gonna tell me what I can and can't do with MY property. Fuck em...
     
  17. I want some that say Crowvette on 'em.
     
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  18. DDDenny
    Joined: Feb 6, 2015
    Posts: 19,137

    DDDenny
    Member
    from oregon

    :eek:
     
    falcongeorge likes this.
  19. I swiped that pic from the web. i've seen them on 283 327's so they should be straight pattern, not sure if they came with staggered.
     
  20. DDDenny
    Joined: Feb 6, 2015
    Posts: 19,137

    DDDenny
    Member
    from oregon

    Thanks Scotty, I don't know all that much about the timeframe that Mercruisers came on the scene, but I didn't think it was as early as the staggered pattern heads, I.E. pre 59.
     
  21. von Dyck
    Joined: Apr 12, 2007
    Posts: 678

    von Dyck
    Member

    Just sold a matching pair of '57 Canadian Pontiac embossed covers a year ago. (no "Australian drain spigot") The 210hp-327 used a stamped embossed script steel trapezoidal shaped cover.
     
  22. Who'd a dreamed there be so much to know about sbc valve covers. Or should I say rocker arm covers?
     
  23. What? Nobody posted a picture of SBC covers with Studebaker stickers, was waiting for that.
     
  24. 56sedandelivery
    Joined: Nov 21, 2006
    Posts: 6,695

    56sedandelivery
    Member Emeritus

    $162.62 BIN? How does someone even arrive at such an odd number, let alone for that much? And there's even someone "watching" the auction. I GAVE AWAY a pair of these SAME style of valve covers to a Canadian HAMBER a few years ago; he just paid for shipping them. I'd had them for many years, on different engines/cars, and had't used them for quite a while when this Canadian guy was desperate for a pair of them. Were't they also on the Chevy II, 350 HP 327 engines, only chromed, along with a chromed, dual snorkel air cleaner? I just bought another pair of Corvette, 7 fin, staggered bolt pattern, valve covers off the same auction site. Extremely good shape, in an OLD box that was probably sitting on a shelf for many years with them inside; they were wrapped in the Sept.8th, 2002 , The Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper paper. Arrived today, I'm very happy with them, and I could't pass up on the BIN price (half of those stamped 327 covers). I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
     
  25. DDDenny
    Joined: Feb 6, 2015
    Posts: 19,137

    DDDenny
    Member
    from oregon

  26. DDDenny
    Joined: Feb 6, 2015
    Posts: 19,137

    DDDenny
    Member
    from oregon

    Butch, as ratfink said, the 62 only covers were slightly different in the stamping on the ends of the center decal pad. Otherwise you are mostly correct about the valve covers on L79 engines in the 65 Chevelles and 66 Novas.
    I'd owned numerous 327 valve covers over a 35 year period and didn't know the 62 style even existed until a few years ago. Actually, I probably had a pair of the 62 versions and didn't even know it.
     
    49ratfink likes this.
  27. Atwater Mike
    Joined: May 31, 2002
    Posts: 11,625

    Atwater Mike
    Member

    [QUOTE="56sedandelivery, post:
    I just bought another pair of Corvette, 7 fin, staggered bolt pattern, valve covers off the same auction site. Extremely good shape, in an OLD box that was probably sitting on a shelf for many years with them inside; they were wrapped in the Sept.8th, 2002 , The Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper paper. Arrived today, I'm very happy with them, and I could't pass up on the BIN price (half of those stamped 327 covers). I am Butch/56sedandelivery.[/QUOTE]

    Hi, Butch...and guys... GREAT post!
    Funny thing happened back in 2005, my pal Les told me he got a pair of New in Box staggered pattern Corvette 7 fin SBC covers...for $29 the pair! ...Right here in River City! (Merced)
    He said they had MORE...:eek:
    A local parts house was cleaning out the back storage room, ran across MANY boxes of Genuine GM Corvette rocker covers! (back in '58, they had been a popular 'street racer' hangout, and carried Cal Custom, Eastern Auto, etc) The Parts Mgr (then) bought up cases of Corvette valve covers, right from Bob Roth Chevrolet.

    I went down there the next morning. There were 3 pair left...the NOW parts mgr said if he had known how fast these were gonna go, he would have raised the price. But I was a good customer, so he gave me the last 3 sets for shy of a $100 bill.:D
    Butch said it, boxes were old and 'weathered'...but Genuine G.M. 'white boxes'...:rolleyes:
    I gave my Dad a pair for his '34 truck, put a pair on the 265 engine 'for sale', and packed the 3rd set away for 'posterity'.
    Good thing, too! Pal 'Stormin' Norman GAVE me a cherry pair of 265 heads to use on one of my shiny 283s!:cool:
    Life is good... Always LOVED those covers!

    On a further note: Anybody remember the 'Landmark Fraud Case' (I think in San Francisco, mid '70s?) An elderly lady had a new Cadillac her husband had bought before his death...
    Engine began running erratically, tow truck driver said it looked 'serious, but not terminal'...
    He mentioned that this year Cadillac had a Chevrolet engine, so the cost would be less than if it were 'Cadillac'!
    The old gal flipped. "My Cadillac has a Chevrolet engine???" Flipped! Right to her attorney. A lawsuit followed, (turned into a 'class action'... Hundreds followed):eek:
    POINT BEING: If those 'Caddy' valve covers were stamped, (or even decaled!) a pair of them would save someone some chips from not having to bolt the Cad 'caps' on there...and being 'authentic' at the same time.

    ...I was also thinking about the last Avantis. No 'Studebaker Stampings', regrettably.:(
    A 'Goodguise vendor' had some huge cast aluminum monstrosities that had decks like a finned FLATHEAD! Acorns and all! Chevy valve covers! Is nothing sacred? :eek:
     
    Last edited: Feb 19, 2016
  28. DDDenny
    Joined: Feb 6, 2015
    Posts: 19,137

    DDDenny
    Member
    from oregon

  29. bchctybob
    Joined: Sep 18, 2011
    Posts: 5,190

    bchctybob
    Member

    Just to add an answer to the question no one really asked, here's a picture of the two different styles of 327 valve covers. The bottom one, with the simple rectangle is '62 only I'm told. The one with the triangular transitions came on 327s for several years.
    Always kinda liked these. Years ago, I welded in 4" tall breather tubes, had them chromed and put them on the 292 in my first '48 Austin sedan. I got these to put on my current Austin. Since they didn't match, I bought some more at the local swap - $40, and they are straight enough to chrome without too much massaging.
    $162.62!?!? Man,you've gotta know your prices before buying off the auction sites.
    IMG_0172.JPG
     

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