Anyone built their own finned valve covers?

I ask because I cannot find a finned cover to clear my rockers and girdle on my sbc. I have a set of "tall" finned edelbrocks with a 1" spacer and they fit, just hate the look of the spacer. The clearence has to be 4.25 inch. Haven't found a tall enough cover. Has anyone taken a blank cover and welded fins on? Other thought is welding the spacer to the cover and smoothing it in with filler.

here is the motor in question. Notice the spacer?

 

I wish I had some pics, but 333 Half Evil took as set of M/T and the spacer, welded them together for me. He took and removed the original lip from the M/T cover before welding, ground the welds smooth, and finished it with a gl*** bead/powder blast in his cabinet. They looked as if the was a factory made TALL M/T cover. You might be able to do that with your, and just have the finns milled into the ends so they can continue down the spacer to the bottom. Just a thought....

 

Carb-Otto did... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=144695

still my favorite Nailhead valve cover

 

M/T used to make exactly what you are looking for, I'm certain of it. I think back in probably late 70's I had to have them on my Chev, 327 with long roller rockers.

These were the only cover that would clear those rockers. They were tall aluminum finned covers, the nice ones you want.

Doesn't help much now, but I bet if you keep looking one day a set will turn up.

Until then, weld up and polish. Should look great!

Hey another thing, if you are creative running those plug wires, maybe you can use them to cover the line between the top and bottom.

Mm

 

Early Cal Customs with the thick gasket will clear stud girdle deals.
Been there done that.

 

I think you should actually paint that motor and the spacer with a fresh coat of paint and be done with it. Seems like it would not be so noticible.

 

The motor is coming out again and getting a fresh paint job. Just in there for mock now. To me its noticiable with the lips that hang over. I think I am going to weld em up and modify them a bit. I would love to cast a set, but lack that skill set.

 

Love this out of he box thinking as well as the skill to do it.
Great job.
Cheers........

 

what if you find another set of the same covers and section the two to make one. I know they are cast which might be very hard to weld but hey it might be possible.

 

That's exactly what Dave Lane at "Fast Lane" did when he put old T-Bird valve covers on a new Ford crate motor in George Poteet's award-winning black 5w. Here's a pix and a link to the rest of the build:

http://www.fastlanerodshop.com/5window-main.htm

 

HD, not sure what you are implying.

54, just looked at a couple on the bay, seems like the side walls are straight enough to use to make one set.

 

Find one pair that the po has boogered up the top on with extra holes or grinding for clearance to use for the bottom half. I've p***ed on sets at swapmeets before that had holes for extra breathers or fins ground off to clear a bracket that were pretty cheap or could be had cheap for cash in hand. The would be great to run though the bandsaw to be able to use the bottom half though.

 

Why not just find some tall valve covers that fit, then cut the finned portion off some old valve covers and TIG them to the tall covers? You can then make them whatever height you need to clear your rocker ***embly.
I just went through this with my 327 when I changed to aluminum heads and stud girdle/roller rockers. I finally gave up and bought a pair of welded aluminum valve covers, but I am still considering mating two sets together to get clearance and keep them looking cool.

 

or you can also buy a chunk of aluminum and get them milled up with your own logo in the center thatd be nice and a nice penny for some valve covers

 

Wow, that was a few years ago.......I remember when I tried to get some cast, when I put up that post we had already gave up on that idea (5 years prior to the post). Seems to me foundries could be cheaper now or just the ones in my are are way too expensive.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1609957&postcount=17

 

A few years ago I met a guy named Dave Wheeler who'd designed and sandcast his own finned Crosley valve covers and side covers when he was still a kid. They looked great and seemed like they worked fine. He said the biggest issue was that the aluminum shrinks about 8% so you have to account for that. They're a bit smaller than your project but I think the process would be the same.

 

How to make your own custom valve covers.

Start with a stock steel valve cover, or in your case cut and weld an extension in. Then cover it with fibregl***, mold and sand it to whatever shape you desire. Take some strips of aluminum and mold them into the top. When it is done and sanded smooth paint with aluminum or black wrinkle paint and polish the tops of the aluminum strips.

Been meaning to try this for years but never got around to it.

 

Crazy idea, and I'm just brain storming. Haven't even tried to work it out, but if you want a real nostalgic look, you could angle the spacer to set the valve covers more level ala Nail head design..

Of course you would want to paint the spacers the same as the heads.

Just a thought............

 

Like stated above, cut the lip off the bottom of your cover, mill the spacer down and leave the lip on the bottom, weld them together, polich the weld and mill the fins in the front and back. Will all the stuff that guy has at that shop I am sure he can pull that off! I take it the truck is still being built by that dude on the island right?

 

Made these a bunch of years ago with a buddy of mine, we mocked up a Imperial Cover with Basla wood and Bondo and then off to the sand caster" Never got them finnished

 

Are you again using stock cheverolet script covers steel ones they would be cheaper to extend or maybe some m/t covers I think there only finned on the top so it be alot easier to extend those I have a set somewhere.

 

Something you might want to know before cutting up any of these parts is that the alloy used for many of the mid 60's up diecast aluminum parts is not fun stuff to work with. You often have to play with different filler rods to get them to take even on a small repair and often the next set of the same require yet another.

I made the cover out of an Enderle since I still have yet to find an original Algon for 289. The pan is a Cal Custom that was smoothed out and dropped.

 

Hey nick. Yeah the truck is still in the shop. Come along way since you saw it last.

Going to try this 2 way. There is a shop across the way that mills alum. May have him make a finned top plate and weld them onto edelbrock elites. Second option is to take the edelbrock covers now and weld them to the spacer. Mill the sides smooth.

 

Just paint the spacer the same color as the head. That's what I did the last time I used one.

I saw a pic of an old Mickey Thomson motor with some fabbed covers that I am thinking about copying in sheet steel for one of my engines. They are rounded off look kind of like an old merc rocker cover only taller, nothing like a modern fabbed rocker cover.

Something that we used to do when we needed to clear tall valve gear was to take two sets of rocker covers and weld them together. It was sort of a low buck pork n bean trick. it would be pricey to do in your situation but maybe you could get another set and weld up a set out of two sets.

 

Well, thanx for that!
Not easy, and not priority, but i was just thinkin about doin this this morning. Im sure that if i get to this w/ patience i can make it.

 

It may be a neat thing to bead roll some fins like, in to the part ya bend rounded to make the covers as added design? For home made's from sheet stock.

 

Awesome looking covers!! Looks like theres money to be made there!

 

Good idea, I got a bead roller, never thought of that. Considering that they will be rounded it will keep them from looking too backyard. I got canted vales so I may dimple them to clear my intake rockers. That will make me able to not build them as big and bulky.

 

Years ago I went to look at a custom bodied Crosley on the northwest side of Houston. It was like a miniature Stude Hawk. Always wondered what happened to it.
That said, the guy had 2 Crosley engines which had school-shop cast finned aluminum cam covers and sideplates. If it can be done in Jr-Sr High School Shop cl*** it can be done AND it gives you the option of making any fin size/pattern you choose. Why copy a standard design?

 

There are actually fellas here on the HAMB that sand cast. If you can make a plug they can cast it. Hell you could make a plug with wood and a router.