Hot Rods M/T FIRST GENERATION SBC VALVE COVERS

Do any of Y'All out there have a picture of what I believe to be M/T's first gen. SBC VCs? They will have the 'THOMPSON' embossed in the center of the cover.

Some years back, Kiwi Kev posted a page from an 1964 Thompson Speed Equipment catalog, that had what amounted to a drawing of those covers. I'd really like to see a photograph of the actual real deal valve covers.

If you have one, please email it to: doug100@comcast.net

Thanks guys,
Doug Pratt

 

Oh, heck!... Post a picture on here if anybody has one..

 

I have a couple of early MTs the one's that only say MT without the circles for breather cut outs but have never seen any that said THOMPSON , I have liked these covers forever and look for them at swap meets...If someone has pics post em up

 

@scrotilson
Here you go. Were mine but sold a while ago

 

Wow! and they appear to be straight hole too, I figured they would all be stagger hole.

 

Howdy, Thank you so much for that picture..........truly appreciated !!

Doug

 

From the 'For What It's Worth' Dept.: I have an ad in Parts Wanted classifieds. I'm looking for some different pairs of Rare SBC covers, this style THOMPSON's among them. The beginning of the ad title reads: PAYING THE PAYING BIG BUCKS..............

Thanks Again
Doug

 

If this style was indeed the 1st generation M/T vcs, then they probably were 'staggered' hole initially. As you know, GM changed the head on the 283 around the middle/end of '58. Then came the 'straight' hole. As I mentioned previously, I've seen M/T catalogs as late as '64, with this 'THOMPSON' vc in it.

 

Mickey might have produced that valve cover with staggered holes but I think he didn’t go into manufacturing speed equipment until 1960 or so.

 

Ok,
I have found no evidence that he ever made a staggered SBC Thompson valve cover. But that doesn't prove anything because I've Seen many one off and or low production parts never in any Mickey Thompson catalog. I can however post what was advertised in catalogs.
1) 1961 very first catalog


Only valve cover listed is Pontiac

2) 1962 second edition

Still only Pontiac

3) 1963 third edition

First listing for Chevy is only one cover for 283 which would only be straight across bolt pattern in Mag or Aluminum from the picture

4) 1964 fourth edition

1964 still shows only one cover for 283-327

 

I have a set of these early M/T logo Chevy covers without knockouts for breather/pcv. As you can see by the photo of the underside, these were either tooled up for either staggered or straight pattern Chevy heads, or there was a design change sometime in production. Perhaps the Thompson logo covers were similar?

 

1968 shows staggered and I have a set just like the above ones from B.SUTTON



I think this one is from 1964

 

Here's those staggered ones that some imbecile drilled a pcv hole into, you can see the dual pattern and note the hold down groove is twice as wide as a standard M/T.

 

I know they later made staggered in die-cast the original post is about the original Thompson cover. The first covers were sand castings. I believe these came after the Thompson covers

Then the M/T sand cast with no holes or engraving pad
someday I will try to fix this one.
Then came the engraving pad
notice this is sand cast and the engraving pad is much thinner than the mass produced die-cast later covers. It only goes up to the third fin and two fins above the M/T

 

So what year would these be no top name but Mickey Thompson on the inside @1933_willys_77 @scrotilson .