Any way to tell how old these M/T covers are?

I just got these for my '54 panel truck project. I have some M/T covers on my vette, but something about these makes me think they are different. I don't have my other ones here to compare. Maybe the font is slightly different?

p/n is 103R-50B

I don't like the ones on my vette, but These I don't mind and can't figure out why..

 

I am curious about those covers as well - I have an identical set hanging on my garage wall.

Now I will have to go out and look at the numbers...


Reece

 

I have a set...140R-50B They look the same.

 

Most M/T valve covers were identical with the p/n's changing from 103's to 140's. As far as I can tell, the main difference is if they were made in Japan (early, 103's), or Taiwan (later, 140's).
Notable execptions were the SBF's, and FE Ford. 2 different SBF 103's, and just one style 140. FE's had 2 different 103's (HP427 and plain)

 

7 years, 2 months, 3 days, and 2 1/2 hours old. Give or take 5 minutes.

 

Is that old enough to be traditional?

 

I suppose that's a matter of opinion. To me, those valve covers scream 70's and 80's

 

I wasn't that serious about the traditional comment. Yeah I agree They do look very 70's and that's probably when they were made, but I'm on a budget and they were cheap. Maybe it's just cause they are a little more worn and not wrinkle black like the ones on my vette that makes them look different.

 

Yeah, i'm inclined to agree the wrinkle black makes em look different. Those particular covers are very generic, and thousands were made. I don't recall a style change anywhere during production.

 

Well, my 1967 Honest Charley catalog shows them with no provisions for oil fill caps or pcv valves, and my 1972 Holley catalog shows them the style of the covers in your pictures.

 

Earlier ones had thicker letters.

 

Damm these RUFFLES are salty ..

 

Here are a pair I've got that are marked inside 327. Obviously before the 350 motor came out. So when would that be? No knockout provisions.

 

68ish is when they started using the holes in the valve covers on new engines....same time they went to the larger bearing journals and did away with the old vent holes in the front and back of the block, and went to spin on oil filter.

 

Did M/T ever make tall ones to clear roller rockers on BBC's? Looking for some....

 

"Did M/T ever make tall ones to clear roller rockers on BBC's? Looking for some...."

Nope. One height only.

The sbc covers in the pics are probably from the 70's. As mentioned the first covers had no provisions for the oil fill holes, the second additions had the oil fill holes with a bowtie emblem molded in one one hole and the other hole had the word Chevrolet. The 3rd/final addition just had the word Chevrolet and the other hole which had the bow tie emblem was just cast with a textured finish.

Little changes like font of letters also through the years as mentioned.

If they say Japan they are 70's and early to mid 80's.

 

396 crane roller LS6 solid cam.

 

I've seen the bbc ones with 396 or 427 cast into the circles. Not sure about build dates but i always figured that they were pre-1970 because thats when the 454's came out.

 

I'm shipping a set of BBC M/T's, and thought I'd do a little*****ysis.
I grabbed a few sets from stock and measured the letters..... the same. Next, I looked over the letter placement and found that there are 2 different locations.
In this pic, notice the vc on the left has 2 fins above the "m". The center and right both have 3. The left v/c is a 140, the center is a 103, and the right is a 140. The left one has pointed drippers, and the center and right both have blunt drippers. The only thing I found consistant was this.... of all the BBC sets I pulled, ONLY the ones with "made in Japan" cast in them had pointed drippers. Other than that, no (specific by eng#) difference in BBC 103's and 140's. Since my catalogs show 103's being the first ones, I can only****ume there were 2 designs in production at the same time (later).