Technical SBC Early Valve Covers with Roller Rockers, Ideas?

I run Lunati rollers on my 355. But I recall the days of running a 396 or 402 in the stock cars with stock but new Chevy stock rockers, we did use poly locks and screw in studs. 3 years of 6500 RPMs and they held up.

 

I run stock rocker nuts on mine, too....just have to replace them (and the studs) occasionally.

 

In the early 70s, Lebanon Valley's limited class didn't allow roller rockers on the 320 cube limit engines. Everybody ran stock rockers with polly locks, and with the gearing and tire diameters, engines routinely ran up to 8000 rpm. Most Chevy engines were 327 blocks with 283 cranks 30 over, well within the 320 limit.

Rods were the real limiting factor. Yes there were decent small journal rods, but the bolts were where the failures occurred. The factory 754 (last 3 digits of the part number) cam was as good a choice as any aftermarket cam, and it was a lot cheaper.

Ahh, those were the days!

 

Oh, and the polly locks helped the rockers survive. They tended to make the oil get to the ball pivots...

 

If I recall correctly Harland sharp invented
the roller tip rockers in the late 50’s. I don’t know how commonplace they were though. The scorpion endurance series are supposed to have more clearance than their others. I have them on an engine now with aftermarket ribbed covers. I have an old set of ribbed Cal customs that seem taller than the corvette covers. I had a set of comp roller tip stamped rockers with corvette covers. Here’s something I found out on those. I had tried them flipped side to side to clear the blower with the breathers and apparently they are made angled with more clearance for rockers on the top side of the script. They wouldnt clear when on flipped but worked fine when installed with the script the correct direction. I had to put breathers on the front end instead of the top side.

 

yeah, look at the end of a stamped steel Chevy valve cover, they're not quite symmetrical.

 

A note on aggressive cams on the street...
You may want to invest in a "stud girdle" for the rocker arm studs. Aggressive cams, stock 3/8" studs, and street miles aren't exactly conducive for long life.

Big Chevy 7/16" studs will help some, but the best bet is a stud girdle.

I ran roller rockers AND a stud girdle on my small Chevy...with...a roller cam...ALL under..."stock", sheet metal, rocker covers with...NO rocker cover spacer.



Mike

 

I do have girdles, some 7/16 rockers and studs too, we shall see

 

I am not sure about the original rocker covers with a thick gasket. I do know that if you are running regular heads (not canted valves or anything extreme) that Cal Custom makes tall finned rocker covers. Unless you are really paying attention and are well versed you cannot tell the difference.

 

When I swapped engines from my Henry J (aluminum rollers) over into the t-bucket, I pulled the M/T covers and put the corvette ones on from the motor that was in the bucket (roller tip factory).
Oddly enough first side bolted on fine but the second promptly broke the cover as soon as I tighten the bolt. The only thing I can think is that the one sides rockers were in some kind of perfect position, that would've revealed itself upon rolling the engine over.



So now the vette covers are wall hangers for now, but I did buy a set of spacers and a single vette cover to swap back on for the CalCustoms



I am running a set of M/T's with my M/T intake to go in the 57 pickup

 

Like these?
Harland Sharp rollers, .510 lift...

 

@MCjim what covers are those?

@swade41 I may do same MT covers, what year did this version come out? 66/67? or not until 70's?

The MY should clear most rockers and girdles I believe?

 

Years ago I traded a hopped up Pinto 2.3 four banger for a hopped up 327 with ported angle plug heads and big popups, the heads had old school roller rockers on it and thick casting finned aluminum valve covers.

One of the previous owners ground the inside of the covers for rocker arm clearance which I thought was interesting, but if it works it works. Couldn't tell at all from the outside.

 

There are roller rockers that fit, but not once you add stud girdles into the mix. Once the girdles are added, even short poly locks wont fit anymore. I have roller rockers on both of my SBC engines and use low profile valve covers, but nothing else added to the rockers.

 

3/8" spacer's and thick gaskets to cover Comp Cams full roller's, and 327 valve cover's. The "Average Joe" doesn't even notice.

 

Ok, if you look at those risers you can see there's a wide side that mimics the cover. I sealed mine opposite of that and used studs. I bolted them down, cleaned the excess and let em seal. I did grind the wide side to the gasket size so it would go away into the cover. Painted it all semi gloss black and it was really hard to detect for a 1am street racer. I ran a small 7" BHJ damper too, said it was a .060 over 402 because its what I had, but was looking for a 454. It was a 477... If I find just an engine pic I'll post it. Looked fairly stealthy, Dart intake (logo ground off), Merlin heads, 1050 Dominator under a modified open element air cleaner.

 

Bostoncamero
Be careful what you wish for. The set on my Willy’s drove me freaken nuts. As a matter of fact I just recently got it where I want it. ( but I am by nature a perfectionist when it comes to how my stuff runs ). And I’ve many injection set ups. The smallest little change can make you wonder if you know a damn thing. And I’ve run everything from a blown six to a 417 Donovan. They can be humbling.

 

Those particular covers are at earliest 67 because they have 350 cast into the oil cap hole, oil cap hole came about when they removed the road draft tube and oil fill tube in the intake.

Here's a 1964 ad



And a 1968 ad

 

This is great thanks!!

 

@Mitchell Rish I have heard that, my dad loved them, I would love to run on somthing one day

 

My covers are Cal Custom, made in California- not sure what year they made them. There are Old Japanese copies that look very similar...and are cheaper since the "perfectionists" shun them. Also, I had an Edelbrock cross ram with those covers and had no fit issues other than having the breathers on the outside...cross rams are just not a practical setup.

 

I ran 6500 at Islip with the big block, Riverhead was a little longer and I ran 6700 there. When a crankin' small block passed me, it sounded like a mad hornet... probably north of 7500. We had no after market rod rule, we picked them up at the Chevy parts counter.

 

If you need to run spacers how about early staggered bolt corvette covers with adapters?

 

I have these on the way, early before other logo/cut out areas were cast into top. I may use these on 283, but also have Ansen which I would use roller tip rockers if so

 

The Ansen's I have are the same as these (found pic online)

 

Ansen

 

Someone drilled those for the breathers, just so you know, I have a pair that someone drilled one in the flat also. The left blue one



I also have a pair of Ansens like yours, they would need a spacer for full roller rocker



They did make an earlier version with a single oil fill hole and the other is a no logo M/T

 

My army tank engine had roller rockers in 1953

 

I've got a set of world sportsman 2 heads that have raised valve cover rails. I think they were designed to be a cheat for classes that require short valve covers.

 

@swade41 I saw the ones I have on way were drilled, got for a good deal and I need breathers