I am presently pursuing the making of a new valve cover for the 250- 292 engines.
Goals of this cover include:
Correct fit
More internal clearance
Cosmetically cleaner look
More clearance under the hood
Affordable

It is designed with fins on the entire surface with no name to break up the finned area. Bolt on breather and fill hole adaptor are planned. These would be on side of valve cover.
Internal clearance should be greater than a Clifford cover.
The valve cover is also designed so the top can be machined for conventional top fill and PCV can be used. Internally , bosses are included for baffles, in this case.
Notice the driverside of cover. The normal reliefs around the head bolt holes have been filled for a cleaner look.

Still have to design the bolt on fill hole and breather/PCV.

Thoughts are welcome!

I see several advantages right off the bat with this cover. No more expensive spacers to buy to use other style valve covers to gain rocker clearance, no more specially clearanced rockers arm sets for the two end positions that are also expensive, and no thermostat spacer or special thermostat housing is needed to clear at the front of valve cover, and finally, no more custom sheetmetal valve covers will have to be purchased either when using stud girdles for performance or racing applications which are also expensive. Having a valve cover that eliminates all of those unecessary components is going to make it so much cheaper.

Wow, What a great design bigger and littler at the same time!

Looks good, Tom.

Yes I would buy one, any thoughts on cost?

If the price is right, sign me up.

Tom, looks good,gives it a very clean look.Any chance for one simar for us Big six Ford folk later on ?

He already has one available for the Ford 300's.

Tom,
Thanks for all the R & D for the rest of us. I for one appreciate your work and the results are great too! I receive compliments all the time on the items you produce that I use on my cars.
Normbc9

Thanks Norm! I appreciate that.

Won't know the price till they get made and machined. Hopefully by December.

Dear Santa,

I'm in sign me up!!!!!!!!!!!

OK...I guess I can wait till December

Maybe if we're all good boys we'll get'em in our stockings.

It would take One BIG SOCK!

We'll get the socks all you need to be concerned with is getting it down the chimney!

Very Nice!

I only have one problem. Don't drink enough beer to make one lump a month from the cans. Have to start walking the ditch's.

Next time you're in Nevada I'll fill the wagon for you.

I like it, but would like it even more if it said "Chevrolet" in the same script as the older Corvette valve covers.

Here is the VC cut from billet. Off to the foundry after polishing.

I want one!

Great work Tom, but as usual what else do we expect from you. Herb #3241

Do you have the internal and external dimensions for your cover as opposed to the Clifford cover. If it is high and wide enough to clear the rockers and use one stock gasket without any adapters it could be a very worthwhile option.

Thanks

Bruce
Will have better specs when it is back from the foundry. Shrinkage takes place when cast.
It is planned to be bigger on the inside than the Clifford cover.
At foundry now. Got my fingers crossed.

Here is Valve cover #1. Couple small blems. Good to setup my machining with. Also sending out # 2 to be polished.
Will check out it dimensions this weekend. It looks nice!

Oh yeah!

I like it.

Good job.

I am interested.
Are you going to machine the gasket surface?

I know on my Offy valve cover, I had to machine it a lot to get a straight surface. Poor Q.C.


MBHD

Thanks for the compliments.
No plan as of yet to machine that surface. May have to. The first one checked sits flat. Offy's VC are really bad, I do not know why people buy them. I do know why, there was no choice, till now.
I have checked many a heads valve cover seal area. They are almost always curved. Humped up in the middle of the head. Pure crap. Check one and you will see.

Here is the first polished unit. It is only a semi polished start. More will be done after machining.


Hope to get the jig for machining made this week.

Nice work Tom, I need to get one when they are ready.

Had some time to check fit on a head. No wobbles or ill fitment. Phew! Also compared to a Clifford. Over 1/4" deeper at the minimum on the inside and atleast .100 wider inside. More measurements will be made.
There is still no way to clear the huge block of aluminum that a Harlan Sharp rocker presents. The front and rear rockers will still need rounded on the pushrod side. Good news is my brand rockers fit without issue.

Getting a bunch of heads ready to machine, had a busy weekend. Setting up a new shop, family and my real job keep me very busy. Otherwise the VC machining jig would have been made.

Making progress, slowly. Taking my time to get all the bolt layout nice as possible. Making the jig took awhile. And still not done.

Looking good! Will these covers be available through your web site or are we all going to have to go into a bidding war over on evilbay to get these??????????

WOW nice! i have a clifford 235 cover and adaptor place, looks ugly as hell once mounted with the adaptor! will keep an eye on this thread for progress, thanks for sharing the progress of the process to make these.


joe

The covers will be on my website and Ebay.

Any discount for inliner members?

MBHD

Mr. Tom,
I've been out of pocket for a while now.
Read this thread shortly after you origionally posted it.

Question for ya...
What is the diff. in height of this new valve cover, verses your older version with that monster spacer that I presently have ?

I'm going to have some serious clearance issues with running the carb hat over the valve cover and then trying to close my hood on my 65 Chevy II Wagon.

I'll hit ya up with a phone call after first of the year.
Thinking of sending you my 250 head and having you do it up for me.

Thank you Sir, happy Holidays,
Stu

How deep is yours with the spacer? It might give everyone a reference that might be considering either one.

Stu, Glad to see your back on the radar!

Finally, some progress made on the cover. Jig works perfect for precision bolt hole alignment. Next Is a little rework of the pattern. 2 of the gasket tabs not alligning properly. Also add recess's for head studs to protrude into cover. Then stand back and watch the aluminum fly!

Been working on my shop. After the storm last year wrecked my building. Built a new one. Added a shop area that is 32x42 with 14' ceilings. 6" of insulated concrete with radiant floor heat. Spray foamed the walls and ceiling. Just wired it. Next hooking up my equipment.

I know there is a difference in "working in the shop" and "working on the shop". I've been cleaning mine for three weeks and I just got to the sorting and putting away part yesterday. The part I'm cleaning is only 24' X24'. The connected 24'X 36" machine shed is a whole 'nuther deal. All this junk owns me.
When you get the valve over done will you be moving on the the side covers to match?

The next part to be made will be bolt on breather, oil fill and PCV.
The present side covers match the new cover quite nice.

Keep on plugging at it.

24' x 36"??? (thats an INCH mark behind the 36)...for the machine shed?

obviously the machine shed is where you build one of them inliner motors, them "possum" motors. No vees allowed (or will fit). Good man, Beat

I find if I turn the binoculars around and make the shop smaller it's easier to clean.

if you get tired of messing with inlines, you could warehouse spaghetti in there

I can be the Western warehouse for Tom's new valve covers. A lot of those handsome devils will fit in there. I want one for the 292 it is so much cleaner than my Clifford. (Segue back to topic)

30 getting cast today..cold. Power went out yesterday. House down to 38 degrees.

You need a big diesel generator for times like that. I've had to use mine a few times back in the summer when we had some bad storms.

Got one of those. Had to use it last summer after that terrible storm wrecked my place. It quit running in the middle of the night. 40 mph winds and 10 degrees. 8-10 inch snowfall blowing everywhere. I even got stuck on a highway in a drift.

Be glad to start machining these in my warm shop!

snow??? whaasnow?

We got a little snow today supposed to be more tomorrow. The stove in my shop is great. The shop and studio are better built and insulated than our house. If my wife knew how warm the shop is she would move in.

Up for bid on ebay lets all get in on it! Sure looks perty!!!!!!!!

Hey Tom,
just found this old thread again.

I need to give ya call and get back on track with what we had been talking about.

Thanks,
Stu

Hi, are these available for sale?. I would like to buy one.

Look Here !

Looks like the only thing in stock are:

Finned breather set Nice compliment to your finned valve cover. Pair of finned breathers to match. One is a breather, second is a PCV. Grommets are included.

MBHD

I can't keep up with production. My first batch machined up nice. Then they started selling like popcorn at the theater. Now I am waiting for more from the foundry. My luck it has been hotter than blazes and they limit their run time in the heat. So it is sit and wait. It is worth it, they turn out so nice.

Guys:

I have one of Tom's new valve covers and it is an outstanding piece. It will be well worth the wait for the next batch out of the foundry.

Russ

Can't wait for mine!

to say they are nice is an understatement!

So any ETA on the next batch Tom?

My foundry has been running real slow on putting out the next set. Hopefully within the next 2 weeks.

Ok, hoping to get this on my Xmas list!

Hi. Are there any plans or avalibility for these to fit a 235 engine?
Thanks, Jimmie ol-nobull

The 235 valve cover is much bigger dimensionally than the ones for the 194-292 engines. So you'll need one specifically for the Stovebolt engine.

Hi. I understand the 235 is a different size is why I asked if any would be made in these.
The only ones I have been able to get a line on for the 235 are the dang Offy's & I am looking for one noted for not giving problems.

Jimmie ol-nobull

Jimmie,
Sorry, I do not plan on making one for the 235 family of engines. I believe Patricks has a pattern for a No Name smooth one.

Good news for My valve cover, another group has been cast and will be machined soon.

Thanks. I will check them out & seewhat I find.

Jimmie ol-nobull

Valve covers are back in stock.
Here is a few videos.
First 2 are of the billet pattern being made. It spent a bunch of time on the CNC mill. Taken with a GOPRO set at 1 min intervals.In editing the time was shortened to 1/4 sec per pic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrGJ1gxBrY4 top of VC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3ADHBOVHCk Bottom of VC

casting of VC http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVs59cyhtN4

Thanks for sharing those videos Tom. I had never seen a casting process. Really educational for me. Amazing the manual labor involved. What exactly is the "sand"?

I think he called it Micronit? It has moisture in it and breaths when the aluminum is poured in to let the air out.

The labor involved was great to document. Will also do some videos of my labor too.

The sand also has Bentonite(clay)added to it so the sand can hold its shape. I can already tell i'm going to have to hire more help with mine.

That foundry was cool to watch. Can you imaigne what an engine foundry operation would be like? Jay 6155

If there is any interest I will run another set of my "No-Name" valve covers. The last ones sold for $235. PM me if interested

Send me the pattern and I will make them.

I thought you sold the patterns to Patrick. Also remember how loooong it took to sell the few you had cast. Sell them to me i'll pay more.LOL

Patrick has them but I can still make another run. A quick phone call is all it takes. I talk to him every week or so anyhow. He doesnt care. I had 50 cast, and it did take 2 years to sell them but I did. Damn I wish I had kept a couple too....

Tom, you can cast aluminum??

Now that I have my foundry i'll let you have a couple every now and then.

But who has a dang timing cover coming? All I want for Christmas/my birthday/Canada Day is a beautiful, finned, 1 piece sand cast cover. Is that too much to ask?

But who has a dang timing cover coming? All I want for Christmas/my birthday/Canada Day is a beautiful, finned, 1 piece sand cast cover.

Vanherk,
I am working on it. Rest assured, it will be right when done.

Hey vanherk, I have my patterns finished but we have been dealt some crazy winter weather here in the south that has kept me from making any castings this month. As soon as the weather eases up I will have the opportunity to make some. I will have a finned "no-name" 2 piece and a finned "brand name" 2 piece available.
With so many fleas trying to jump on the same dog, there should be plenty of product out there.

I have more to update on my valve cover.

It is now made with a variety of finishes.

As cast (exterior is not blasted or sanded)
Blasted
Polished
Powder Coated

Other choices
Polished tips

Another variation is a NON Finned or smooth .

Here is a video that shows fitment with roller rockers and comparison of Clifford and Offenhauser valve covers.

http://youtu.be/Ijs-pGL735A

Nice job Tom.

Hey Tom! Just as an FYI, Your valve cover may have some issues with certain guide plates. Larry's Power is putting the final touches on my 292 and had clearance issues with the guide plates. I think the plates are from Crower.
The fix is simple enough . They had to clip the corners on the outside most plates and I think they may still have to remove some material from the inside of the valve cover.

Stan,
Sorry to hear of the conflict. The good news is, I am on revision 3 of the cover.
Rev 1 is what you have and was of approx. the first 30 valve covers.
Rev 2 open the inside a for greater clearance for springs/ rockers.
Rev 3 removed some of the mounting pad for the internal baffle. This was to make a better/ cleaner casting.

Your engine is looking nice.

Rev 4 would be good so we could mount shaft mounted rocker arms.
Having enough room on the ends of the cover for clearance.


MBHD

Tom,
Nice video,Have a question how does the Precision valve cover measure up against the other 3 valve covers?

The PES cover needs a spacer because it is more like 2v8 covers together.

Larry is right. The PES is a BIG valve cover. It can hold a stud girdle. The adaptor is needed to mate the valve cover to the head. I sell them as a kit.

It is like having 2 BBChevy vlave covers welded together. It seals with a rubber oring for the gasket.
http://12bolt.com/250292_products/valve_cover


Here is a video showing the machining of the bolt pattern on my CNC.
http://youtu.be/_cMs68MwBfI?list=UUMGvkFVBkT2vJwIfZ2HTnKw

The adaptor plate is like 1in. thick the valve cover it-self is short in height. And It is square and UGLY as All Heck. I know a guy who has one. So me personaly I wouldn't give a wooden nickel for one.