Hot Rods SBC Final Dress Recommendations Help Needed

As ***le says.. I need dress up recommendations. I can’t change the block color… the billet valve covers are going.

Need recommendations on valve covers style and color along with header finish black or silver ceramic? Also open to painting air cleaner. Plug wire color and routing style too.

Help me see the vision my eyes can’t seem to find. Appreciate the HAMB community always
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I always preferred the old Corvette finned aluminum valve covers.

 

That makes two of us Jaracer. Cast, painted or polished?

 

On my race car they were un-polished. If I had them on a hot rod I would probably polish them and paint inbetween the fins with the engine color. This is what I did on my Buick.

 

Great look.

 

I’m a big fan of Cal Customs

 

Can we see the whole car?

 

Those were the only ones I had on hand. I’ll work on it. It’s a black 32 roadster with a bright red gut bench seat.

 

That fender is like a mirror. What ever you do will show off well. Very nice.

 

How about stock stamped valve covers with the Chevrolet script on them?
Once these are tidied up and the mangy mess below also, it should look like right out of the 50s... well, sort of

 

Here's mine. Polished Cal Custom covers painted between fins. Chrome repro mushroom style air cleaner. Headers were coated silver, but I kind of like the black.

I used repro tri five wire looms to get the black plug wires out of sight.

 

Thank you all. I guess that is the end of the tread. My pictures violated hamb rules.

 

You would be hard pressed to find a better looking sbc valve cover than the old Vette finned covers.

 

Mine don't!

 

I am pretty much settled on vette finned covers, especially considering I have a set. I have to decide again paint, polish or cast and what color headers?

 

Looks nice Denny

 

4 blade fan, possibly a Stellings air cleaner (haven’t confirmed that - had it laying around), Hildebrandt covers (Originals, and they’re tall) and what I think is a Cal Custom wing nut - all this on “Eternal Mock-up” ‘29 CC pick up 327 of the ‘65 variety.

 

I decided to go with Z-28 finned valve covers instead of the Corvette covers. I like the smooth, no letters look better.

 

Hi Moriarity, dare I say that I have read every crankcase venting thread here on the HAMB?

I have them setup with moon breathers, one side closed off with a pcv and an oil fill tube in the intake manifold.

Love your vehicles btw. Positively *****in be well.

 

Since I built my first Chevy Hot Rod in '63 the Corvette aluminum valve covers have always been my favorite.
The first shot is the 283 in my '55 Delray, second is the 283 in my original '32 Roadster.

 

Oil add /fill threw dip stick ,
& Yes I made adapter for one of those funnels that you put 5-6 qts bottles in with hanger on cowl to rad rod , it takes about 15ish mints for 8-10 quarts.
I prefer No hole covers Plain stock or like a cal custom , unless its one of my combo that shaft rocker will not clear & some with oil nozzles for rocker & Springs .. hidden vents in intake ,

 

Early scripted valve covers chromed is my second choice after originall Vette as far as common and easy to find stuff on a early looking SBC.

There are some rare stuff I'd have over those .
I'd like a set to match my Ridge Runner Tunnel ram. Hard to find.

I have some early Edelbrock, Offy, Weiand and others that look fine especially if your running there intake.

I can't stand the MT covers from the late 70's

The Cal Custom ones look good.

If your running some rollers , stud girdle or other stuff you might need a spacer to get it to fit with the factory stuff.

 

I ran corvette covers for a few years



Then switched to CalCustoms to clear the valve train

 

That should be a non issue, Early intake with a breather/filler tube and a discrete hole drilled and tapped in the right place for the PCV valve to connect. It just takes some planning ahead.

Wrong intake because it is a spread bore but it does have the filler tube and it is 9:28 PM pacific time. a drilled and tapped hole in the valley a comfortable space in front of the distributor hold down bolt hole boss will allow a screw in PCV valve to go in . We did that back in the 70's on blocks that no longer had the hole for the draft tube but we wanted to run no hole valve covers and an early intake.

 

Here is mine. Plug wires under. cable at top is Winter front control. Not atached yet. g wires under.

 

Hello,

Plain steel painted covers were standard items back then. But, for drag racing and custom approaches, the finned units were the most popular. The plain finned units with a Moon breather were very popular.
Straight from 1960 when the Isky-Gilmer belt drives were first made for the SBC motor. If we had worked at Isky in So Cal, we would probably have #1. But, we had a unit sitting our backyard garage before any of the new designs were put out publicly in newspapers or magazines, or even speed shops. It was nice to have a good friend who went to school with Vic Edlebrock when the Edlebrock manifold was part of the complete kit design.

Our 283 SBC was a bored out 292 c.i. with blower spec parts. The valve covers were exactly as shown. finned aluminum units with a Moon Aluminum breather in each area. Black Packard wires and Rajah clips, black gas hose(s) color and black header color. Any color coat for the headers will eventually get some discoloration. Black is good for all motors and it does not show when dropped below the motor to the back.

Jnaki

It does not matter whether your engine is going to have just carbs or injection or a supercharger. The finned valve covers fit all designs nicely. Despite the fact that some units have color between the fins, the original cast look was very good looking for contrast and for many years, no one painted those spaces. YRMV
a pure 1959-60 build ... No extra money as yet, so our rims were black steel on blackwalls. But, we did have Halibrand mags on order along with new M&H slicks and a two port Hilborn Injector for the 671.

 

Cal Customs, check. Ram's horn manifolds (in white perhaps), check. Helllings air cleaner, why not but not a deal breaker. Open element looks more muscle car. Perhaps a kool black OEM but some of those are so expensive now it's hard to make sense of it. I'd paint the intake and engine factory orange even if it's aluminum if an OEM style was used. Powergen naturally, Holley carb or natural finish AFB style, and no braided stainless hoses ffs. So 80s...

 

Absolutely perfect!!