So yesterday I finally installed a new valve cover in my Eagle. Captspillane hooked me up with a nice used Clifford cover, and I went over to my buddy's house to put it on (adult supervision plus a heated garage!!) I ran into some issues with the fitment of the gasket as well as what the heck to hold the right side of the engine down with. Read below.
This is what my engine compartment looked like before I started all of this. Grimy and disgusting, basically.
Yuck.
Anyways, I removed the old valve cover without much of an issue, but I soon unveiled my first problem. I had bought the big rubber gasket at Summit Racing, and it appeared it was not going to work. It had an extra lip around the bolt holes on the passenger side of the engine. The front of the gasket was a major problem as well. Unfortunately, the nearby Autozone did not have a cork gasket in stock, and Summit Racing is practically next door to my house, not my buddy's in Cleveland. It is hard to see in the picture, but you should be able to see what we did. I took a handheld belt sander (no, I am NOT kidding) and leveled off the lip of the cover so it didn't sit on top of the gasket. I also did this to the entire front of the cover and all of the appropriate bolt holes.
Note in the picture, I drew a yellow line representing where I "filed" down and colored in blue where the gasket protruded. I really should have photographed it before I put it on.
After that is all said and done, I RTV'd the H*ll out of the gasket and cover and set it. So far, so good. Until I get to the right side of the engine. NOW I know what everyone talks about regarding tapping bolt holes. The problem is, I did not remember reading about drilling into the block as there was only 1/16 inch or so of space there. It would HAVE to be drilled to tap. I'd thought everything would just go on the same way it came off.
My buddy is not an AMC guy, and he was not very keen about drilling into an engine block he doesn't have a whole lot of familiarity with. Therefore, we came up with this solution. I went to Autozone and picked up a packet of nuts and washers. I then used the table top grinder to file off an edge of the washers so that it would go on the stud that the plastic cover was attached to. Finally, I tightened (slowly...this was a pain having to use an open ended wrench for everthing) down the nuts perhaps securing this thing to my engine. **Yes, there are other issues here...like the intake gasket...and the back of the pulley I broke being an idiot. Please forgive.
My buddy swore up and down after doing this that as soon as we turn on the car, it was going to spew oil EVERYWHERE, that he was going to have to drive me to my mom's house to get the Lincoln, and the entire world was going to go to h*ll in a handbasket. Except it didn't. The
thing sealed, and quite well at that. It is leaking a little on the right, firewall corner of the engine, but it is a lot better than before.
And, the end result after degreasing it like crazy this morning:
Oh, and this mysterious PCV-looking oil fill cap? Captspillane should be posting shortly if he already hasn't.
Topic: Finally Installed New Valve Cover...some tips and tricks for when things go awry (Read 4497 times)