News: Putting FUN and FRIENDLINESS, FIRST into owning and learning about AMC small bodied cars, primarily Eagles, Spirits and Concords as well as vehicles built in AMC's Mexican subsidiary, VAM.

The AMC Eaglepedia can now be accessed using the buttons found below  This is a comprehensive ever growing archive of information, tips, diagrams, manuals, etc. for the AMC Eagle and other small bodied AMC cars. 

Also a button is now available for our Face Book Group page.


Welcome to the AMC Eagles Nest.  A new site under "old" management -- so welcome to your new home for everything related to AMC Eagles, Spirits and Concords along with opportunities to interact with other AMC'ers.  This site will soon be evolving to look different than it has and we will be incorporating new features we hope you will find useful, entertaining and expand your AMC horizons.

You can now promote your topics at your favorite social media site by clicking on the appropriate icon (top upper right of the page) while viewing the topic you wish to promote.


  • March 28, 2024, 09:18:36 AM

Login with username, password and session length

Author Topic: After Market Valve Covers  (Read 150026 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline carnuck

  • Having a 727 means never re-doing the trans again
  • AMC Eagles Den Addicted
  • ********
  • Posts: 3451
  • Thumbs Up 89
  • Near Seattle
    • Virtual Jeep
Re: After Market Valve Covers
« Reply #255 on: July 15, 2012, 01:09:04 PM »
They discovered the center bolts caused the cover to warp
AMC/Jeep gauges are for amusement only. Any correlation between them and reality is purely coincidental!

Offline eagleman

  • Eagle Limited
  • *****
  • Posts: 675
  • Thumbs Up 35
Re: After Market Valve Covers
« Reply #256 on: July 15, 2012, 01:22:37 PM »
Well I can see where the bridge would cause the plastic cover to warp,that makes sense to me but I would think the aluminum one would be fine with the bridge and stud.Anyway its food for thought.Just wondered why it is not used seeing as how its already there and all.
Turkeys walk.Eagles fly!!!

Offline carnuck

  • Having a 727 means never re-doing the trans again
  • AMC Eagles Den Addicted
  • ********
  • Posts: 3451
  • Thumbs Up 89
  • Near Seattle
    • Virtual Jeep
Re: After Market Valve Covers
« Reply #257 on: July 15, 2012, 01:39:46 PM »
I guess you could try if you wanted. I just use "The Right Stuff" and be done with it. The plastic cover Max98059 has was glued on with just the end screws and no leaks.
AMC/Jeep gauges are for amusement only. Any correlation between them and reality is purely coincidental!

Offline eagleman

  • Eagle Limited
  • *****
  • Posts: 675
  • Thumbs Up 35
Re: After Market Valve Covers
« Reply #258 on: July 22, 2012, 06:53:58 PM »
Well after waiting for more then a week my valve cover finally showed up and it looks pretty nice. Just a plain aluminum cover with  polished fins and 4.2 on top but still looks pretty nice. Sure beats that leaking black plastic flower pot thing. Any way I was reading the instructions and its pretty basic just the normal drill and tap stuff and all  then when it came to tightening the bolts it said to tighten the rear ones first then tighten the front ones then tighten the middle ones.I thought to myself that can't be right so I reread them and anyway thats what it said to do. Still don't sound right to me so I thought I'd just ask how the rest of you did it. Seems a better way would be to start in the center and work out ward and the two at each end would be last. What do you all think?
Turkeys walk.Eagles fly!!!

Offline Budwisr

  • Eagle DL
  • ***
  • Posts: 254
  • Thumbs Up 24
Re: After Market Valve Covers
« Reply #259 on: July 22, 2012, 09:50:53 PM »
Just started to install my aluminum valve cover today and I can't help to wonder why the new cover does not have the holes in the center of the cover where it uses a bridge stud. Seems to me that it would help to seal it better. Strange thing is the new cover comes with a new bridge without the stud to install in place of the studded bridge when in my opinion it would have been just as easy to have put a couple of holes in the new cover and use the studded bridge. I'm sure there must be a reason for this but I'll be if I can figure it out. Maybe one of you has a answer. I would sure like to know.
The PML aftermarket valve cover has the option of using the bridge mounting. http://www.yourcovers.com/valve_covers_8656.php
Bud
 1981 SX/4
 1983 SX/4
 1987 Wrangler
 1970 AMX
 1980 Spirit AMX

Offline mental1896

  • Eagle
  • **
  • Posts: 60
  • Thumbs Up 5
Re: After Market Valve Covers
« Reply #260 on: March 25, 2014, 02:33:02 PM »
Just found a really inexpensive one while browsing the web: http://www.jeep4x4center.com/rough-trail-valve-cover-kit-aluminum-os-83501398-al.html

No idea how good it is.

Offline IowaEagle

  • AMC Eagle Archivist
  • Administrator
  • AMC Eagles Den Addicted
  • ******
  • Posts: 31968
  • Thumbs Up 476
Re: After Market Valve Covers
« Reply #261 on: March 25, 2014, 09:42:53 PM »
That is a good price.
Click for Toledo, IA Forecast" border="0" height="100" width="150   


Not a Jeep.  Not a Car.  Its an AMC Eagle!

1982 Eagle SX/4 Sport;
1980 Concord DL;
1970 Ambassador 2 Dr HT, SST
2002 Hyundai Santa Fe;
2008 Jeep Patriot Sport - Freedom Drive II

Offline Blue4Door1985

  • Eagle
  • **
  • Posts: 14
  • Thumbs Up 3
Re: After Market Valve Covers
« Reply #262 on: June 04, 2014, 07:22:07 AM »
I ordered the aftermarket aluminum valve cover for my '85. My directions say that there are holes that need to be tapped for the valve cover. They also say that for model years '85 and later do not have the pre-drilled holes. That means I would have to drill the holes and then tap them. I would be fine with this, but I have heard that there is not enough room in the head for the drilling and they leak when you do this. Has anyone had this problem or did I just get bad information?

Offline Mernsy

  • Eagle DL
  • ***
  • Posts: 248
  • Thumbs Up 13

Offline priya

  • Premium Member
  • Eagle Turbo Diesel
  • *****
  • Posts: 1309
  • Thumbs Up 133
Re: After Market Valve Covers
« Reply #264 on: June 04, 2014, 09:08:44 AM »
I ordered the aftermarket aluminum valve cover for my '85. My directions say that there are holes that need to be tapped for the valve cover. They also say that for model years '85 and later do not have the pre-drilled holes. That means I would have to drill the holes and then tap them. I would be fine with this, but I have heard that there is not enough room in the head for the drilling and they leak when you do this. Has anyone had this problem or did I just get bad information?

Someone tapped my head for the aftermarket valve cover prior to me getting it.  We didn't realize they had cut through to the water jacket until after we had the head rebuilt and installed on the motor and in the car.

Offline AMC1

  • Eagle Sport
  • ****
  • Posts: 326
  • Thumbs Up 8
Re: After Market Valve Covers
« Reply #265 on: June 04, 2014, 11:53:25 AM »
I purchased mine (1983) from Turner 4WD Parts Co. >http://thejeep.com<
1976 gremlin
pair of 1983 SX4's sports
1946 Cushman step-thru

Offline carnuck

  • Having a 727 means never re-doing the trans again
  • AMC Eagles Den Addicted
  • ********
  • Posts: 3451
  • Thumbs Up 89
  • Near Seattle
    • Virtual Jeep
Re: After Market Valve Covers
« Reply #266 on: June 04, 2014, 03:59:08 PM »
You can seal the threads if they go into the water jacket. If I were able to, I would redo the Clifford design to allow more room for bolts. The options are allen head screws or T bar bolts like hotrodders use.





You can see the Tee bolt by the air cleaner.
AMC/Jeep gauges are for amusement only. Any correlation between them and reality is purely coincidental!

Offline mental1896

  • Eagle
  • **
  • Posts: 60
  • Thumbs Up 5
Re: After Market Valve Covers
« Reply #267 on: June 22, 2014, 04:11:06 PM »
So Vangremlin came by yesterday and helped me put my new aluminum valve cover on. It was easier than I expected and we only had to tap the two driver's side holes. The engine was rebuilt about 20 years ago (according to a warranty document in my glovebox). Consequently the three holes on the passenger side had been plugged and tapped for 1/4" so we had to run to the hardware store for some new bolts.

By the way: you know in the eaglepedia valve cover guide where it says to cover up the rocker arms so nothing falls into the engine? That's sound advice. I dropped one of the screws into a pushrod cavity just moments after removing the old cover. We got it out, but that was an unnecessarily stressful 15 minutes or so.






Offline TheGoldenEagle

  • Eagle
  • **
  • Posts: 24
  • Thumbs Up 1
  • A Montana Eagle Owner
Re: After Market Valve Covers
« Reply #268 on: November 14, 2017, 01:54:26 AM »
I keep seeing people say about the valve cover swap that it's only for eagle engines '81-87' Or '81-86', Which is it? I have the 87, which i've heard some examples got an OEM aluminum. Just curious if that was mistyped, and that the 87 is the same as other eagles before it.
1987 AMC Eagle LTD (daily driver)

Offline carnuck

  • Having a 727 means never re-doing the trans again
  • AMC Eagles Den Addicted
  • ********
  • Posts: 3451
  • Thumbs Up 89
  • Near Seattle
    • Virtual Jeep
Re: After Market Valve Covers
« Reply #269 on: November 14, 2017, 12:13:40 PM »
‘87 to ‘91 4.2L came with aluminum cover with a little overlap. Wrangler YJs.
AMC/Jeep gauges are for amusement only. Any correlation between them and reality is purely coincidental!

 

SMF spam blocked by CleanTalk