Technical SBC Early Valve Covers with Roller Rockers, Ideas?

Completely understand, I tried running a pair with just oil fill tube in intake and it tried pushing the seals out, I ran another pair with M/T breathers and of course had no issues.

 

Maybe I will have the Ansen gl*** beaded and use roller tip rockers

 

Also have these, hear they came from Sears Automotive department? along with the AF/X

 

J.C Penny carried those, or my memory isn't good.

 

I have a set of those Pro/Stock ones, you can see them in one of the photos I posted, one of them is pitted pretty good.
No A/FX though.

 

As I read through this thread I was reminded of my 71 LT-1 roadster to which I added roller rockers. They fit just fine under the stock aluminum valve covers...well, after I snapped off the oil drippers with a pair of pliers.

 

I am leaning towards the Ansen and roller tips

 

If the valve covers are too short, add an aluminum spacer ans run 2 gaskets.

 

Roller tip rockers seem to be a better bet honestly with standard locks instead of poly. You are putting this in a model a so the 5 or 10 hp difference will make no difference and be a smarter move all in all. I personally don't trust any of these modern roller rockers after seeing so many failures in the last 5 to 10 years. But hey that's just me.

If you are dead set on full roller rockers, then get ready for valve cover spacers.

 

Penneys by me had a dyno-tune department and my dad took his '64 Ford there. We got to watch it on the dyno. This was a free standing building and I recall all the speed equipment. This was in 1968 or 1969.

 

Didn’t they have Foremost Tires ?

 

My friend gl*** beaded these for me. I will run roller tip rockers with these covers.

 

nice fix for the valve covers but what I'd like to hear about are the air cleaners,
how did you fit them to the larger air horns?

 

Good eye! I cut the first step off of the base of the air cleaner's and filed the opening, then made some 3/4" spacer's to go between the air cleaner and the carb... fit like a glove.
They will work without the spacer's if needed, just needed someplace to tap into for a PCV intake... Hence the reason for the spacer's, That's where the PCV intake is tapped into.

 

Roller tips, Your choice of course. I would go with a quality full roller. I have found over many years they do make a small block a little more snappy,less friction. But as I said your engine , build as you see fit.

 

I would run an 097 cam the cam preforms well has the sound the low lift is easy on valve train . I have no experance with comp drilled solid lifters but I woild think about them . As to valve adjustment with solids how many miles do you plan on driving your car per year?

 

I do have a few nice solid cams, Z etc, so we shall see,
have a ways to go before ***embling.

@mad mikey I am still thinking on it, I have a brand new set of Comp for 7/16 studs, NOS Crane gold race and others.

 

man, you won't believe this. i stumbled across a set of ridgeway valve covers earlier this month. i was browsing the tri-state swap meet in Denver, found an odd looking finned SBC valve cover that i didn't recognize. i figured it was some no name junk suitable as a wall hanger, no ID marks to be found...but it was heavy sand cast. it was buried in a literal pile of grungy take off valve covers that the seller didn't even bother to unpile, a quick scan found it's mate. ask the guy what he wants, he shoots me a price about appropriate for some center bolt sbc takeoffs. so of course i buy them for wall hangars. he was happy to get something for this old junk and not have to haul it home. after the dust settles a week after the swap, i get to cleaning them up to hang on the wall, and i find an aluminum badge on one: Ridgeway Racing ***ociates. what? this suddenly sounds interesting! i had no prior knowledge of this company or Ralph Ridgeway's contribution to racing/hot rodding history. i had no idea these were cast from pure unobtainium! i wash them off, they were so filthy when i bought them, i didn't realize that one was raw unpolished aluminum, and the other krinkle-coat black, neither showing signs of being installed. i figure they must have been speed shop displays.

i know about as much about them as google/hamb tells me, but the short story is Ralph Ridgeway had these made to cover his stud girdles, and to go along with his tunnel ram as @1biggun posted, in the later 60s.

 

@ray post some pics of these bad larrys

 

Been looking for a set of those covers for years . I bought the tunnel ram in a simualr way no idea what it was but thought it was cool. It likey to end up on my 27 T roadster POS

 

I gl*** beaded these but still am not sure, have some time as pistons going in next

 

I have roller rockers under these currently on my 327 with polylocks, .466 lift hydraulic cam.

 

Well You should have plenty of carburetor Summits cfm calculator sez 283 @ 7000 at 100% 600 cfm

 

yeah motor will be pretty serious, have various intakes so may swap it up, we shall see - not my first rodeo