'68 Steel Valve Covers?

tjm73 · Nov 18, 2004

I have a nice set of "Powered By Ford" stamped steel valve covers from an early production '68 289 car. I want to put them on an AFR headed 5.0 for a project I'm considering. Has anyone done soemthing like this? I am wondering if the rockers will clear the covers.

D.Hearne · Nov 18, 2004

They ought to. I'm running the 83-85 stock aluminum Stang covers on Canfield heads with 1.7 Comp Cams roller rockers with the baffles, only had to "dimple" one baffle to clear the rockers. The covers you're talking about are a little taller and have more room under them. At best you might have to "dimple" one baffle also. I believe most of the aluminum heads have taller valve cover rails just for that reason

Rumble · Nov 18, 2004

I wish I had your valve covers for my '68! Ironically, I have valve covers from a 1983-ish GT, the ones that say "Powered By Ford."

In answer to your question, I'll be surprised if they fit your roller rockers... please let us know!

D.Hearne · Nov 19, 2004

Rumble said:
I wish I had your valve covers for my '68! Ironically, I have valve covers from a 1983-ish GT, the ones that say "Powered By Ford."

In answer to your question, I'll be surprised if they fit your roller rockers... please let us know!

Mine are the finned aluminum "Powered by Ford " covers. They work perfectly. Also using the steel gasket with the rubber sealer ring though. Felpro lists them in their catalog. Got mine from a parts motor, they last forever.

Edbert · Nov 19, 2004

I have the original style cobra finned covers on my Edelbrock Perf-RPM heads. The heads have 1.6 ratio roller rockers and the cam is a 0.506 lift unit. I took the oil baffles out of the covers, put extra thick gaskets on, and still have only about 0.125 inch of clearance. I can tell how close because I put some clay inside the covers and hand cranked the engine to measure.

I was going to say no they would not fit. But I've learned to trust D's advice as well, so I'll say YMMV. Maybe the rocker stud architecture is different on those heads or total valve list is less.

D.Hearne · Nov 19, 2004

The cam in my 331 is Ford Racing Z303. Lift is .587 with the 1.7 rockers.

tjm73 · Nov 19, 2004

Edbert said:
I was going to say no they would not fit. But I've learned to trust D's advice as well, so I'll say YMMV.

YMMV What's that stand for?

Edbert · Nov 19, 2004

Your
Mileage
May
Vary

...at least thats MHO...IIRC

D.Hearne · Nov 19, 2004

What in Tarnation does "IIRC" mean? ( I guess I'm showing my age by asking that )

bnickel · Nov 19, 2004

Rumble said:
I wish I had your valve covers for my '68! Ironically, I have valve covers from a 1983-ish GT, the ones that say "Powered By Ford."

In answer to your question, I'll be surprised if they fit your roller rockers... please let us know!

hey rumble i'll trade you my 69 power by ford valve covers for your 83-ish aluminum power by ford valve covers

HistoricMustang · Nov 19, 2004

Should work but you will have to get the small hammer out to "dimple" the baffle, as others have said.

One side note to everyone. Next time the covers are off your motor put some "threadlocker" on the screws holding the baffle in the valve cover. They will come loose. Not to long ago I found one of mine while changing the oil!

HistoricMustang
www.historicmustang.com

Edbert · Nov 23, 2004

D.Hearne said:
What in Tarnation does "IIRC" mean? ( I guess I'm showing my age by asking that )

(FYI)
If
I
Recall
Correctly

D.Hearne · Nov 23, 2004

Edbert said:
(FYI)
If
I
Recall
Correctly

W.I.B.D. ( Well I'll Be Damned )Seen that IIRC several times, really bugged me that I couldn't figure out what it stood for.

Rumble · Nov 23, 2004

bnickel said:
hey rumble i'll trade you my 69 power by ford valve covers for your 83-ish aluminum power by ford valve covers

I was waiting for someone to say that... but freight from Texas to Ontario, Canada would be insane.

Edbert · Nov 24, 2004

Hehe!

The IIRC comment is just a disclaimer used by old guys that lost much of their short-term memory capacity during the late 70s

Rumble, you might be suprised how cheap a box containing a pair of valve covers would be, particularly if you sent them ground with a low insurance value...just saying it aint THAT bad.

bnickel · Nov 24, 2004

yeah it's not that bad i just got a steering wheel shipped in from ontario and the freight was only like 12 bucks

D.Hearne · Nov 24, 2004

Edbert said:
Hehe!

The IIRC comment is just a disclaimer used by old guys that lost much of their short-term memory capacity during the late 70s

In truck driver language, we call that "CRS" ( Can't Remember ****)

D.Hearne · Nov 24, 2004

bnickel------- you can find the 83-85 finned aluminum ones on ebay. There's actually 2 different variations. I've a set of each type. One has built up bolt bosses and is cast to use cork/rubber gaskets, the other has the bolt boss area the same thickness all the way around the gasket surface, and has an "O" ring groove for the rubber-steel permanent gasket, but this gasket works with both types. I'm using the bolt boss types on my 89 Ranger, the other set is on my "spare" 5.0. I'd sell you these but they lack baffles, and using a PCV valve, the oil consumption is rather excessive. Drove the Ranger on a 350 mile round trip last year and the PCV sucked down 4 quarts of Pennzoil.

ForceFed70 · Nov 25, 2004

tjm73 said:
I have a nice set of "Powered By Ford" stamped steel valve covers from an early production '68 289 car. I want to put them on an AFR headed 5.0 for a project I'm considering. Has anyone done soemthing like this? I am wondering if the rockers will clear the covers.

I don't think they will fit. At least without some of the modification listed above (thick gasket and work done on the baffles).

Great68 · Nov 25, 2004

I highly reccommend ARP valve cover studs instead of the regular bolts. It's one of those things that makes lining up the gasket SO much easier that you wonder why you hadn't used them before.

'68 Steel Valve Covers?

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