Got a set of cast aluminum valve covers and i need to drill breathers, do,i just use a hole saw? Now most valve covers that come stamped with breather holes also have a plate shield to stop,the oil from splashing up, on the inside is this necessary?
You absolutely have to use baffles unless you like oil all over your engine. Their placement is dictated by the rocker arms also. A bi metal hole saw will work.
I recently did the same thing, used a drill and hack saw, made baffles and put some foam in them. Then found out I had a broke piston causing oil to exit the breathers onto my windshield.
They make baffled grommets so you don't have to attach anything to the valve cover itself with screws or rivits.
Did you even try a google search? http://www.google.com/search?q=baff...-us&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1 I mean, not to sound like an ***hole, but that sounds amazingly lazy...
No pictures, but here's how I did it less than two weeks ago on a set of "Pro/Stock" finned aluminum valve covers right before I fired up the tunnel rammed Chevy 350 in my 1956 Chevy. 1. Bought baffled grommets at local parts store 2. Found hole size needed 3. Center punched hole 4. Drilled a series of smaller holes with my hand drill until I reached the desired size 5. Used a file to clean up burs 6. Cleaned up shavings 7. Installed grommets for PCV and breather 8. Installed valve covers In a correctly functioning PCV system no baffle is required on the breather because it should be drawing air INTO the engine. The baffled grommet goes onto the PCV valve because it is drawing the air OUT of the engine and into the intake.
Be VERY careful if you try a hole saw. You can easily loose the bit centering hole and grind the **** out of the fins and maybe your hand. I would screw a piece of plywood backer to the inside of the VC to keep the bit centered. Put two holes and then screws inside the area of the VC hole into the plywood backer. Stop drilling just before the hole is complete in the aluminum. Remove the plywood backer and finish the job. Much safer would be to drill with a step drill and finish the edges with a file or Dremel.
I would dill it from the inside. drill a small pilot hole from the outside so you get it in the place you want it. and use a drill press . less chance of damaging the fins.just did a pair like this ,it worked well.
So, my previous post was deleted for endorsing a "rat rod" magazine (rag?), but thats kool.... Anywho, theres a good tech article in a magazine that I shall not name here, but kinda rhymes with "go saw logs" and has way too many Z's in it, its the most recent issue I think. It has a pretty good write up of installing a PCV valve into no-name cast valve covers that looks somewhat incon****uous. Good pictures too.... hope it helps! el Scotto, very kool diagram!! Hope you don't mind me saving it.. Too many people don't understand the importance of proper ventilation...
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