Technical Corvette valve covers: The current state of the molds.

I've used the rattle can cast iron paint on a few things and they turned out pretty nice.

 

Didn't know flatheads ran valve covers.LoL

 

there is literally no comparision between these and my original 9 fins, but then the molds were brand new when the nine fins were cast.

 

Sold (2) two sets of 9 fins back in 74 and got STUPID money for them,
paid 10bucks for one set, i forget what i paid for the other set...

Had plenty of ORIGINAL ones over the years, lost interest after they started
the casting flaw.

 

They do. Old folks call them an intake manifold.

 

Yikes! I think I have a pair of new ones that are nicer than that. Want me to look?

 

I bought a brand new set from Chevrolet back around 1967. They looked like yours. I would swear they just knocked the sand off of them and threw them in the box. It took me quite a few hours to get them to shine on the sides. I painted the fin area Chevy orange and bolted them on my 283 that I had in my first 40 coupe. They were a great looking valve cover then and now.

Took a lot of sand paper and elbow grease I didn't have a buffer then.. These days I start with 320 or 400 sand paper and work my way up to 1500 before buffing the aluminum.

 

Mine were old and the line was very faint through the O. looks like the molds have worn some over the years

 

Never knew that. It's interesting that Hoover was based in Canton, Ohio. Same as the Winters Foundry, producer of the famed & sought after snow-flake intake manifolds. Coincidence?

 

Wow, those molds ARE on their last legs. It's almost criminal that they are still selling these. In that condition (semi-shitty), they should be marketing and pricing them as "seconds". They're essentially "driving those molds for free".

Reminds me of buying a model car kit made from the original 50+ year old tooling. The bodies sometimes come out "soft" on detail, casting flaws, sink holes, etc. because they've shot zillions of castings through them.

It wouldn't be rocket science or a huge up front investment to professionally clean up the mold or make a new mold. They'd sell a lot more of them and recoup the investment in winning fashion.

This plan would be "pushed" by consumers flat out refusing to buy any shots from the old molds. As long as these are selling, they'l keep popping them out.

 

What would a set that looked kinda sorta like this be worth? They say Lester on them with pt # 376493
Unfortunately , the one has a small chip out of the lip , but not to where it would affect gasket seal

 

I bought these from some where in the PNW several years ago. They are Lesters and were just like the OP's. I spent a lot of time making them look this way . I'll paint the centers gold to match my engine. Bill

 

You need to help us hacks out with your polishing techniques,Although I have Ford valve covers I spent many hours trying to get a beautiful shine and finally in frustration I ended up painting them and polishing the fins. HRP

 

Not bad for a Ford boy!

 

I started with 180 grit sandpaper and I used a piece of 3/4" keystock as a sanding block. I continued down thru the grits to 600 then I started again using various descending grits of rouge on a buffer. The quality of the aluminum isn't that good because they're grainy and cloudy in some spots. But they suit me. Bill

 

80 grit! Holy cow! I am starting with 220 basically!

 

Whoops. I left out a 1. That would be 180 Bill

 

that's better. 80 grit is like scratching it with a pointy rock...

 

ITT Lester plant in Bedford Ohio was casting those valve covers in the early 2000s. Watched them pop out of the molds, Pretty cool

 

Is this fisheyery lenses?
Or is it bent?

 

No, that's just lens distortion. That WOULD be an issue!

 

Dumb Question time - are they cast in a steel mold or a sand mold?

 

FWIW, I have one 90% cleaned up to the point where it will be ready to move from the "clean-up" phase to the polishing phase. And I haven't been killing myself, just puttering away at it.

 

Steel mold, die casting.
Very similar to this

 

WOW! Those foundry workers have exciting jobs. I can't imagine doing that 8 hours a day, day in and day out. Besides, I can't stand heat. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

In the cobweb infested recesses of my brain I recall hearing that that line through the "O" of the casting was caused by a broken mold that was only repaired, not replaced.
Anyone?

 

that's the story I heard.

 

Thats my story -n- i'm stickin two it.

 

And that occurred in 1967, so if you are looking at a valve cover that is original, and doesn't have the flaw, its '67 or earlier.