After Market Valve Covers

[Mavericke]

Agreed.

I love the newer valve covers.

[Jurjen]

And I have never heard anything positive about the plastic cover, other than you can use it upside down and put some plants in it.
I tried to fix it and it leaked worse after that. The aluminum one is tight and the engine is dry.

[mojobean]

Its possible that some of these heads may leak worse than others.  I pulled the head on an engine that was very leaky.  Upon inspecting for flatness, the combustion side is true and flat; the valve cover side has a crown from the center to both ends of approx 3/32, near an 1/8.  I thought about getting an extruded aluminum but it will probably crack.  Going with the plastic and rocker bridge studs, along with some flange nuts and eccentric washers for the left side of the head.  the other option is to take it to my machinist and mill off the excess.  to me that seems like alot of material, i guess it depends on how much clearance is between the cover and the rockers.

[IowaEagle]

That is quite a difference.  I wonder if that was that way from the factory or something brought about from time and miles?

[milliard431]

I always thought that my 1980 cover was the same as 76 0n but today I tried to put a nice shiny NOS metal oil cap on my Eagle like the 79 Concords have a guess what, I've got a nice decoration to put on the shelf in my garage. At least it has it's original AMC box.

[mojobean]

That is quite a difference.  I wonder if that was that way from the factory or something brought about from time and miles?

I'm not sure either, the fact that the combustion side is flat makes me wonder.   I can't imagine its designed like that.  I have the amc factory valve cover fix kit, which includes a very thick "neoprene like"  rubber gasket which makes me wonder even more.  I'm not comfortable drilling into my head for fear of diving too far and hitting the water jacket.  I've had pretty fair luck with the bridge studs and "the right stuff", so I'll give it a whirl. 

[Lynx_Gen]

I like "the right stuff"  hehe. good for many things...

I wonder if the guy i was talking to had such a problem where it was warpped or whatever bad like that, and maybe he tried a new non-plastic cover and caused him greif..

meh.. prolly never know.

[Pat]

Just curious, mine has the aluminum one already ( black w/ polished ribs ). Had the wrong gasket ( included with Eagle when I bought it ) & Tech School ordered a gasket, got the same thing. Posted here on The Nest & got the correct number ( Thanks again Eric Armstrong ). Question is about the cover, it is completely flat, no lip or anything to keep the gasket from sliding around and/or help align it when trying to install. Is that the way it's supposed to be or is something wrong with mine?

[IowaEagle]

You are good to go.

[Pat]

You are good to go.

Thanks IE, it was already installed when I got it, so no destruction manual to read.

[Sævar Örn]

Hi, I may not be looking at the right thread here, but i didnt feel like making the 100th "new" thread here with questions probably answered before, although I cant find this one with the Search button.




I got a valve cover, aluminum, grayish and says 258 on the top, the mounts are the same in the front and back as my plastic one, but my plastic one has 2 threaded studs which go up through it in the middle(off the rocker bridges) but this aluminum one has bolt holes near the edges of the head, are they tapped and ready on my head, '82 wagon or will I need to make them myself? And also are the plastic fasteners for the plastic cover(on rocker bridges) removeable with ease?

The valve cover is from an 87 Jeep Wrangler with a 258.

[Budwisr]

 

I got a valve cover, aluminum, grayish and says 258 on the top, the mounts are the same in the front and back as my plastic one, but my plastic one has 2 threaded studs which go up through it in the middle(off the rocker bridges) but this aluminum one has bolt holes near the edges of the head, are they tapped and ready on my head, '82 wagon or will I need to make them myself? And also are the plastic fasteners for the plastic cover(on rocker bridges) removeable with ease?

The valve cover is from an 87 Jeep Wrangler with a 258.

Unfortunately, the '87 258 head is a different design so the valve cover will not fit your '82 head.

[Sævar Örn]

When you say it wont fit, do you mean the surface of which the gasket sits on is different? or that the mounts are different? because I think I can modify the mounts by drilling and tapping.

[mudkicker715]

The surface is different. 81 through 86 than 87 and up are different covers

[IowaEagle]

Yes, heads used from 1981 - 86 are unique and no other covers from other years will work.  So your '87 cover will not work unless you have a later head on your Eagle.