Breather situation on sbc in 51 chevy

Ok I just got this car and It doesnt have any breathers on the valve covers and doesnt look like any other ventilation.


The hose on the right that is going up from the manifold is for the trans, the one from the base of the carb looks like its going to the booster?


If you look closely right under the fuel bowl there is a little ****** on the carb. Whats that for?


Here are the holes on the valve covers, I cant find any breathers of the same style as the valve covers. I also dont want an air ****** on them either. Too mch clutter

 

The dominator intake has a knockout in the front for a breather tube. Why not install a breather tube and breather in the front, drill a hole back by the dist for a PCV valve then drill a hole in the back of the manifold below the carb for vacuum for the PCV valve. Then sell the valve covers and put on finned covers with no holes. Will cost you a set of intake gaskets when you pull the intake to do this. JMHO.

 

sent you a pm

 

put a vacuum gauge on the port under the bowl and you will be able to tell if its ported or unported vac***. is that a Holley carb? what do you have going to the vacuum advance?

 

I really dont want.to pull and drill the intake. Not too confident on that.

 

My $.02: You have valve covers that will work for your venting. Put a breather on one side, then get a PCV valve on the other and connect it to the intake where I ***ume the distributor vacuum (or maybe vacuum wipers? If so, leave that there.) is connected. I would then connect the distributor vacuum line to the small ****** you see on the carb if it is a vacuum port. You should be able to find aesthically pleasing breather and pcv's. Hope this helps some.

 

That does sound good. The things I dont want are to drill or take the manifold off or have a hose coming from the breather to the carb. I want this motor clean without any clutter.

 

If you are going to run that air cleaner find a valve cover breather to match it. On the other side use a pcv valve or just oil filler cap. Remember without the oil fill tube in the intake you have to have something on the valve cover to add motor oil to the engine.

 

Well if you dont have a pcv valve you will get sludge and water vapor coming out the breathers. If you dont care about that then just get some breathers from somewhere that push into that hole in the valve cover. Or knock out that cap on front of manifold and get the breather tube and breather, then get valve covers with no holes.

 

Im still having issues with this...D I have to pull the intakr to add the oil filler? Does it pop out or does it have to be drilled? D i have to pull the intake?

 

it's hard to tell in the picture, but it looks like the breather hole is already open in the intake and a rusty freeze plug or something is stuck in there to fill the hole. is there something in the hole or is it all one piece and never drilled??

 

Ok I checked and it does have a plug but the alternator bracket is in the way.

 

Ok here is what I am trying to accomplish: To set up a pcv system but I dont want to have hoses running from the valve covers or to the air cleaner. Also I have the holes for breathers in the valve covers but cant afford to buy new ones. Is there a way to plug them/

 

What is the least exspensive way of doing this and without drilling out my ibtake and losing my valve covers? Also I dont want hoses running from the valve covers or air filter.

 

What is the least exspensive way of doing this and without drilling out my ibtake and losing my valve covers? Also I dont want hoses running from the valve covers or air filter.

 

you are trying to have your cake and eat it too. in this situation i dont think that is going to happen. you cant have a pcv setup without hoses. if you plug the valve covers you need to pull the plug out of the intake and add a breather tube to serve as a breather and as a way to add oil to the engine.

your engine needs to vent crank case pressure so make sure that happens.

A cheap but some what hokey way to plug those valve covers is a way I have done in the past and it worked very well but not the "Correct" way to do it. I used a chrome lugnut for mag wheels and wrapped it with electrical tape around the shank end of it to match the size hole of the rubber gromet in the valve cover. (Actually go about 3 wraps around extra so that it fits snug in the gromet) then you have a niceish looking plug.

hope this all helps.

 

Ok well since im stuck with these valve covers would it be possible if I put an oil filler tube with a breather cap on it and breathers on the valve covers? Would that be good?

 

Sure but you will see blow-by and water/condensation under the breathers. Enough condensation will collect in your oil filter and clog it. peace

 

How can I avoid that?

 

It appears that about the only way you can get close to accomplishing what you want to do is to turn one valve cover end for and put the hole towards the rear of the engine then install a 90 degree hose fitting in valve cover and put a 3/4 inch hose on the fitting and run it off the rear of the engine and down to the under side of the car. In otherwords a breather tube. You will still have the condensation issue but at least the mess will be under the car and not all over the top of the engine. Back in the eighties they made a solid rubber valve cover plug that I think is the same size as the holes in your covers with the grommet removed.They were mostly used in chev 305s in pickups.That should take care of your other cover hole. Its not a perfect solution and I dont recommend it for street use but it gets you close to what you want. I know it works on the racing engines we use.Hope this helped.

 

if you dont have a PVC then you end up with the smell of the engine blow by, you dont want that it stinks, with the hoses you have now running around your engine your not going to notice a well layed out PVC hose, the fitting that is now being used for your trans could be a T and go to both the boster and the trans, that would make that a little neater, then the fitting being used for your boster can be the PVC hose and go to the rear valve cover opening, that would be a short hose and can be made neat, then install a breather/oil filler on the other valve cover, i'd leave it at the front as it is better for adding oil, done

on the same line of thought, i fellow just dropped off his chevy pickup with a 396, it had a PVC and no breather, well a head gasket went or holed a piston and the blowby was pumping all the oil out the dipstick tube, its seems common that people who are supose to be expert engine builders over look this problem.

 

just make it a show car. they dont need oil. form follows function.

 

Ok I think this one makes more sense to me. So the fitting on the intake for the trans I can put a "T" on the line for the trans and booster? It will be enough vac***? Then the fitting on the base of the carb for the booster can be used for the pcv hose and valve which that will attach to the valve inside of one of the valve covers at the rear. Correct? Then I.can use just a regular oil filler/breather cap on the front of the opposite valve cover. Doesnt matter which valve cover gets the valve or breather....correct? After doing all of this I wont need a filler tube infront of the intake? Where can I get a pcv valve and the correct one? Or does someone sell a kit with the valve and grommet for my finned covers?

 

Anyone know where I can get matching breathers and air cleaner for this?

 

Well I am planning on going with the setup that Budd posted a few posts above. Seems like it going along with what I have pretty well and sounds legit.

 

For the night crew!!

 

Morning bump. I need to find a matching pair od breathers and air cleaner. Anyone?

 

those look like the offenhauser valve covers . try speedwaymotors.com online to see what they offer http://www.speedwaymotors.com/search-breathers.html, I ussually pull the grommet in the cover and use K&N filters push in breathers http://www.knfilters.com/vent.htm, you have to measure the holes in the covers , but you should run some sort of PCV set up to prevent sludging like everyone is saying they make a breather that looks like a breather to hide the PCV valve in too and you use a glam hose ( braided ) to hook it to the carb base transdapt sold those .

 

Oh really? I wouldike to get one of those false breathers. Any psrts stpres carry them?

 

you can buy carb spacers with a vac port in the base or drill and tap one .... simple i had to do it on my tunnel ram...back side of the carbs ... i used a pair of breathers one was the a regulr breather the other had a port on it and a pcv valve built in then a four inch braided line from it to the carb spacer......