Technical Can anyone help me identify these valve covers?

Good evening everyone, I was wondering if anyone has any info on these old staggered bolt sbc valve covers? They are low profile and have zero casting marks. I’m debating on tapping them to use on later style heads but if they are valuable/rare I would rather leave them on the shelf for a later build.


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I'm not sure if they are rare, but seems it would be tough to make them work on later heads considering the clearance area above the holes. If I remember right, the staggered holes are at least a 1/2" off or so from the location of the straight across pattern. I would keep them on the shelf or sell them to someone that could use the staggered pattern and find a set that will work for what you have. Anyway, just a thought.

 

They look to me like they are stamped steel, chromed covers as sold by JC Whitney, Honest Charley and others BITD.
Post a photo of the underside.

 

Thanks for the reply, and here you go


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I hear that, I got them from a yard sell and the lady’s husband had a bunch of old cool stuff so I assumed they were vintage. I haven’t seen these before but figured they would work for me when I was planning in building a 283.


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X2 on J.C.Whitney.

 

They're either Cal Chrome or Cal Custom...I forget if Cal Chrome became Cal Custom later on..

 

For a '55 to mid '59 265 or 283 They look like early CAL CUSTOM.

 

100% Cal Custom; there is a NOS pair for the SBC on that auction site we all know and love, but they are the straight across bolt pattern. And, they have a BIN of ONLY $199.95!!! Yours should be worth at least half that amount. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

X4 on the above three.

 

Somebody made aluminum adapter plates. Screwed on to the head and had the offset holes tapped into the plate. You could make your own with a jigsaw and hand held drill. A drill press would be high tech.

 

I think I’m gonna leave them alone and save them for later. If I can find a pair of strait across pattern for what I have now.


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Thank you for the info


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Sweet, I’m gonna see about getting the proper pattern. Thanks for your info too, you’ve commented on almost all of my posts and are a plethora of info.


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Thank you !


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Is that a catalog number? Are they still in production?


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They where always considered kinda cheesy. Sorta like the edelbrock valve covers later on with the edelbrock name and screws around the edges.

 

Haha, well I do t wanna be that guy. I’m trying to build a period correct 327 and Am not sure what route to go for my valve covers.


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This would be my choice, available reproduction in chrome as on some high horsepower 327’s, or orange also. These were used on ‘62-‘67 327’s.

 

They would be very appropriate on a poor boy build. Bought a set one time, from the box I thought they were cast. Took them back, because they were not cool enough. That was in 1975.


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Like they said they look like the cheap custom valve covers from mail order companies like Almquist, JC Whitney, and Honest Charlie.
Nothing wrong with that. These days they are unusual and scarce since no one valued them in the old days and didn’t save them. I wouldn’t modify them, save them for an early style build with early heads.


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I ran a pair of those way back when because I was a poor boy and I could afford them. Period correct, yes.

 

If you really don't know what X2 means, then I will tell you...it means I am the second one to agree with the post mentioned.

 

I actually have the set that came in my 327 sitting on the shelf. They are perfect with zero dents


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Would you rock em now?


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I think that’s the plan. I could use them on first gen c10 build once I finish my 210.


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They're different, (which is hard to find for anything SBC) and they're period correct, so why not run them? Pattern adapters are cheap enough and will keep you from having to modify the covers. They're very low-rise as-is anyway so the bit of extra height from an adapter shouldn't hurt the looks any.

 

Those valve covers came out pretty early...probably years before Cal Custom made aluminum covers. I had some NOS ones years ago and the label was very early. They were probably one of the earliest if not the first chrome valve cover...this is way before the L79 valve cover. I'd guess they came out 1957 or thereabouts. There were very few aftermarket covers at all then. I think they're cool on certain builds..like lets say a pretty stock small block in an F100. They definitely had their place..

 

I did a little research and found the logo that I remember from the set I had. Here it is....also for some history this website says that Eastern Auto was later renamed California Custom. They mostly started off with chroming original pieces of trim and reselling them. Everybody wanted California Chrome...lol.

 

On the right build I sure would. As was said earlier, they got thrown away and not many around now.



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