Old Moroso two-peice valve covers

I saw a set of small block chevy valve covers at a car show yesterday. They are a two-peice design and they are huge, I had to take a 2nd look to realize what kind of engine it was. The first peice bolts to the head and is open at the top, it also flairs out at the top, giving the engine the larger look, then a flat plate bolts to the top to finish it off. The guy said he had them since the 60's and only knew of one other set in the country.
Does anyone know what Im talking about, or happen to have any.
I'll try to get a pic at the next show to show you guys.

 

Chuck- I think those valve covers were made by a company called Larson ? They were bigger than a big block and had a finned aluminum cover. Funny thing is , when I was in college at the U of Minnesota in the 70's. I designed a two piece cover to allow easier valve adjustment. My design looked like the Larson cover. I have no idea where my blueprints went to. A picture would help verify who made them. Good Luck, Bill

 

Yes, I remember a valve cover at SEMA in the early 90's by an "off" brand company that fits the description

 

They were Larson Valve Covers.
Here's an old post with pics.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=448636

 

That's them! The man was sure that they were morosos, but thats definently them. Are they rare?

 

Rare? I've only seen one set in my life and they were on a show car T bucket in the 80's. I believe that Gennie Shifter marketed a similar set only thiers were wrinkle finish black w/brushed highlights and were made to simulate a DOHC look. This was early on in their history and It's been over 20 years since I last saw them in one of their ads.

Frank

 

if anyone wan't a set i can find em.. it's what I do.

 

these were marketed by moroso and made by larson industries , i have 2 sets , but i need a big block set if any one can help , small blocks are hard enought to find now look for the big brother would like to buy a pare or trade thanks

 

I remember them, too. Expensive at the time, but would be great for adjusting solid lifters or any valvetrain for that matter.

 

GOTO partsandcars.com
look under products tab

 

Cool but $750 will take a while to save up for!

Steve

 

WTF??? I thought I had logged in to the Jalopy Journal. prolly get 15 bucks for them at the scrap yard.

 

Well, if you could find a set for a resonable price I may be interested.

 

Hard to find but cool

 

If anyone has a set for a decent price I would be interested..

 

My two piece valve cover:
In August 1968 I had just been discharged from the US Army and was walking down the street in the North End of Toledo Ohio. I was reading a Hot Rod magazine. There was a picture of a small block Chevy valve cover that someone had cut out a slot in the used cover so that they could adjust the valves and not have the oil leak out all over the side of the engine. At that point the light bulb went on. I would make a two piece valve cover so that the top would come off. I was getting ready to go back to school and finish up my engineering degree. I had been at General Motors Institute before going into the service. Just around the corner from where is was living was a foundry that cast aluminum. There biggest contract was the Toledo Scale face that everyone has seen a time or two. They where looking for help and I took a job shoveling foundry sand for $6.50 an hour. It was funny, but my Army buddy wouldn't take the job. He said that " his hands weren't made to fit around a shovel handle". I took the job and the pattern maker and I became good friends. He was a WWII combat veteran, and I had just came home from Hell. Once I had some hours under my belt I told my new friend Bill what I wanted to do. So he took me under his wing and off hours, and during lunch we made a set of patterns.

The patterns we made where what's called double shrink. A pattern has to be larger than what the finished part will be because of shrinkage. Most patterns where made at that time from wood like mahogany, and where only good for around two hundred parts before the sand would brake down the pattern. We made a double shrink pattern, and cast two pieces. One was the top, and the other the body of the valve cover. We then took the aluminum double shrink patterns and worked and polished them. They became the single shrink aluminum patterns. from there we had to figure the gating and shrinkage allowances. I was lucky in that Bill had over twenty years experience. We cast six sets of my Sweet 2 Piece Valve Covers.

At the time the biggest new comer to the aftermarket Auto industry was a guy named Joe Hrudka the founder of Mr Gasket company. I gave Joe a call and told him what I had. He invited me over to his facility and we spent part of the day going over my invention. I had filed the necessary paperwork to protect my idea. He and his brother looked my two piece valve cover over with interest. The first thing they suggested is that I change the fins on the top and down the side. They would like to see the valve cover with a smooth finish, no fins. I was told that smooth was in and easier to clean. Then he asked, "how much to make a set". I told him "$10.56". "You have to get the price down to $1.25 per unit, or $2.50 per set, and we will sell 10,000 units". I was told to make the changes and we could do some buisness.

I went back to Toledo and looked at having the valve covers made with the die cast method so that I could get the price down to the $2.50 mark. Molds would be around $5,000. In today's money around $50,000. I had just gotten out of the Army and had little to nothing when it came to assets. So I went back to school.
One thing I learned was that I took an idea from a drawing and made a product. So if I could do that, what else could I do with the rest of my life.

It took years before someone else came out with the two piece valve cover. Did they copy mine. No I wouldn't think so. Just more than one person coming up with the same idea. I ended up with six sets and over the years one by one they disappeared never to be attached to a running engine. My two piece valve cover was the beginning of my Johnny Sweet Designs company, and forty plus years later I'm still designing and building things even though I'm now retired.
Thanks for reading,
Johnny Sweet

 

The Sweet 2 Piece Valve cover. I should take some pictures of the top removed.

 

sweet, those are very sweet valve covers, beautiful i think......

 

There's a guy I know that has a set of the Larsons on a 34 ford here in the area.

 

there are two types of LARSON ROCKER COVERS. The ones made for MOROSO are only 6 inches wide across the top and have only 8 ribs, the older better design is the wider 8 inch with 10 ribs on top. They were made for both small block and big block and had an optional air cleaner that looked like side draft fuel injection stacks.

The other type that came out around the same time was made by GENNIE SHIFTER COMPANY and had 16 VALVES ..for SBC & BBC words cast into the top along with various raised lines. They also made a funny looking cast air cleaner. They came with a rough painted finish . You could run them with the end piece which made them look like DOHC cylinder heads, or without it. The people in colorado who now own gennie shifter have no thoughts about re releasing them.

The molds & patterns for the larson rocker covers have been sold to a Guy named McDonald in Arizona about 3 months ago.

my 35 std coupe has the gennie covers on it....if i find a set of Larsons will put them on the 34 chev steel roadster i am building

madmike3434

 

I've got 2 sets of Original Larsons with the G M crossflags on them...SORRY, NOT FOR SALE!!!! NOT FOR SALE!!!!! Ist pair are the bigger 8inch across fully polished tops and bottoms, 2nd pair are the smaller 6 inch wide in original black wrinkle finish ( found them new several years ago wrapped in 1981 news paper at Ray Smiths Speed shop in Eaton, Ohio, It's now closed), Funny thing is I didn't buy them that day because I all ready had the bigger set, got home, thought about it and went back to get them after all, never been sorry about that drive....I can't run either pair on the Willys without moving motor forward as right valve cover is too close to firewall...DAMN!!!! Larson later sold out to Induction Engineering that discontinued putting the cross flags on them (Speedway sold them for a while years ago)...As mentioned on a previous post someone is selling them new for $700 +....As usual, just my 2c worth,or less.....Joe

 

Hey Mike.... U know I have a set of the Hemi-Style Larsons available....just wanted 2 put the word out 4 all the other Gear-Heads out there who mite be interested !?!

 

I have a set of the bigger/older ones on my small block Chevy. They are painted orange on the bottom half with the top polished with the crossed flags. I am interested in selling them. Send me a message if your interested. pics available on request.

 

Hey 41Stude, do you still have those larson Valve covers?

 

I found a set of the 10 rib 8" wide Larson covers and bought them for my 35 chev roadster....called SHAZZBOTT.

They are still sitting in Brockport NY friends place until I can get them.

A few months ago a total of 3 sets came up for sale on ebay USA. The first set went for serious $$$$, 2nd set listed a few weeks later went for slightly less and finally 2 weeks later another set appeared and I won them for a lot less than the other guys paid.

Funny I just got an email today with picture from doug Bronson who has set up at a swap meet in GA. He has what he calls the BIGGIES , they are 9 inches wide I believe. He ran off castings for 12 sets before selling the company to a man in Arizona .

mike

 

Are these Moroso's or Larson covers?

I bought them a while ago & cant I'd them

 

Those would look nifty with a B&M megablower and some of those braided steel spark plug wires. Oh Man!

 

Well it's gonna get an old Edelbrock tunnel ram before it leaves the dyno.
Should look a little better

 

do not recognize them as being larsons, similar idea but not the same. I have never seen ones like these before........you definitely have something unusual there.

mike

 

Not Larsons and kinda awkward looking. It's like they're too squared off.