Hello, Probably a stupid question, This 1964 FE 390 in my car has an aftermarket aluminum intake. The factory cast iron -weighs 80 lbs--- had a vent tube from the intake to the air cleaner. The Edelbrock "performer "does not have that vent tube. I'll get some pix up tomorrow, too dark out there now.... I believe that (actually an oil fill) tube went down into the crankcase and is where you would fill the oil. So it was venting the crankcase, essentially. Like an AMC engine. The factory stamped OEM "Thunderbird" steel gold painted valve covers do not have vent ports. So, what's on there now are two cheesy chrome after market valve covers with a big vented cap on each one. QUESTION: Can I go back to the factory air cleaner, and the factory gold valve covers with NO VENTING? Since the intake manifold has no vent tube but the factory did. Thanks for your thoughts. (By the way...a 1964 Parklane sedan with the factory set up and probably the nicest one in existence. Mine is pretty straight, but no where near this level!) https://www.youtube.com/embed/XbyCSAWp1Ag?autoplay=1&html5=1&rel=0
If I’m seeing it right, there’s a closed cap on the oil fill tube (video) . I’m assuming there’s another vent with the PCV valve to the carb, or a spacer under the carb. On the y blocks we try to duplicate the later factory systems (mostly trucks by the time they were required). PCV valve from the rear of the valley cover to the carb or spacer plate, and a closed cap on the oil fill tube with its hose to the air cleaner. We machine the finned aluminum valley covers and fit a tube. I’ve done that several times on SBC’s with later manifolds in the manifold. A little late now, but pull the manifold and fit a tube. If you don’t have the oem location at the back of the manifold (or were ever Ford put it) you need that too. I’m sure better explanations will follow. The Winter’s family up the street had one of those new. Still have a soft spot for those cars.
That front hose is supplies “clean” air to the crankcase thru the oil fill tube fore the suction of the PCV system. Many leave it off using a oil fill cap open to atmosphere. You can see it working during a test on my system on a 56 y-block. It should have 1 to 3” of vacuum.
you must vent motor - need to see pics of your motor - yes, will have to use valve covers with openings - PVC tube that can be run from passenger side V/C to front of carb if a Edelbrock - or a plate placed under carb with a tube at rear of motor - other side can run a tube from V/C to air cleaner
The old non PCV FEs had a oil fill breather cap in the front of the intake manifold , rear of the intake had a breath with a mess inside of it vented into a road draft tube . As the car was motoring down the road , the draft going by would cause a draft in the crankcase suckin clean air in the oil fill cap , throughout the engine exiting through the draft tube . Once the PCV appeared the breathers were forgotten
The road draft tube arrangement has a supposed reputation for sludged up motors due to condensation or somesuch, but I have to wonder how much of that was due to the motor oils of the day and neglected maintenance. The Y-Block I have, when valve covers were first removed 20k miles or so after rebuild the innards were spotless and still are today.
You have to have crankcase venting; failure to properly vent will blow gaskets/seals and you'll have a serious leaker. If you're determined to keep the round-top valve covers, you'll have to find a matching intake manifold with the oil fill tube. Aluminum versions exist, but are rare and expensive when you do find them. Most will be hi-po intakes and too much for a stock or mild 390. Cast iron versions '58-61 will be road-draft-tube types. Ford started phasing in PVC valves in '62, so you can run into either type '62-63. By '64 PCV valves were standard, the '62-64 intakes had the valve installed in the back of the intake into a baffled opening. In '65 Ford moved the oil fill and PCV valve to the valve covers across the line, with the exception of the hi-po motors which left it in the intake through '67. I'm assuming Ford did this to save the cost of retooling those intakes which were low-volume items. Don't want all this hassle? You have four OEM-style valve cover choices with your current intake. One, '65-66 Ford 'no name' covers, rare and a bit ugly. Two, Ford switched to the 'Pentroof' cover on the 427 in '65 or 66. Now these don't have the oil fill/PCV as OEM, but you can buy repos that do have them, although I'd check to see if they're baffled. Three, the 'generic' '67-76 'Power by Ford' covers used on pretty much everything else. And last, IF you can find a set, Mercury made some I believe '65-67 that said 'Mercury' on them. These turn up every so often. One last comment. The OEM-style valve covers have internal baffles around the oil fill/PCV holes, something most of the aftermarket ones lack. They don't spew/leak nearly as much oil as the aftermarket ones do.
Truck64. You are correct along with not having the engine reach operating temp. The glove box oil spec was 20-20W. Non-detergent 30wt was used to a much greater extent. My mother had a new 56 Victoria. She used for church and groceries and it was sold in 1961 with 40k miles and was wore out. Church was less than a mile and the market she used was 3. We used on a few trips but the damage was done. I can only think how much condensation was in that engine. My current 292 y-block has 10k on a rebuild in 9 years. 10-30 detergent oil currently Lucas hot rod. Oil is changed every year. The rocker covers are clean as is the oil pan since I have had it off. I did not have a PCV System for the first 8 but the draft tube never dripped and it’s steel gauze filter was always clean.
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