Roller rockers, Poly locks, Cobra valve covers..

Hi Mark!
This is a great improvement for your engine,but will not clear the valve cover.Posi locks will hit even with the oil baffle plates removed.In order to clear with room to spare you need the 1"spacer that bolts to the head.It may look a little different--but is the simplest way to gain the room you need to clear the valve train.I've seen what happens when people remove/modify the oil plates,and in a simple sentence it does not work..on the right side cover it will allow too much oil to flow into the pcv and will oil foul the plug,as well as really sucking oil!you have several options,like taller valve covers,or different valve covers..but if you want to use standard covers--buy the spacers and live happy.I think the people that manufacture them are Cobra Automotive.
hope this helps you out.

 

Tony Branda sells "COBRA" valve covers that are slightly taller for roller rockers.

 

Hey Mark,

I put rollers on my 289 hipo heads and the Cobra valve covers as you know didn't fit. I ordered the taller valve covers from Tony Branda. I had to dent in the breather baffle under the oil fill and pvc a little bit, but cleared fine afterwords.


Eric

 

I did not have this problem. I have a set of Dart heads with roller rockers (poly locks) and the original valve covers with only a single gasket under them. Still have the baffles. No clearance problems whatsoever.

 

Nearly 30 years ago I put Crane® Gold™ roller rockers (with the Crane supplied lock nut assemblies) with a Crower® F-304 Rev Plus™ camshaft kit in SFM5S142. I carefully removed the baffles and designed new ones in aluminum to be welded in just under the oil fill and PCV port holes. My local radiator shop welded them in place while I held them in position. The welder used TIG welding and didn’t even discolor the original finish as cast finish on the valve covers. I used a McCord® standard cork matrix gasket set and didn’t have any problems. If you looked down the oil fill pipe you might notice that the baffle was aluminum and not zinc plated steel and just a little closer to the fill pipe. I use to run the car pretty hard with high speed runs at 8,500 rpm without any oil loss out the breather.

 

Felpro makes a thicker valve cover gasket. I left the stock rocker arms and added the poly locks and with the felpro thicker gaskets clear my 65 sandcast cobra valve covers with out any modification to the valve cover.

Mike

 

I have used valve cover spacers before with good results. If painted engine color you can hardly tell they are there. Here are some on e-bay though you may find some cheaper somewhere else.

eBay Motors: 260 289 302 351W FORD VALVE COVER SPACER KIT (item 260087200885 end time Mar-16-07 18:22:53 PDT)

 

I believe Dart heads have raised valve cover rails. Many after market heads do.

 

Guys, I'm getting ready to put some Erson roller rockers on my 428. Will my stock valve covers still fit ok? Thx, Bob

 

I have Harlan Sharp aluminum roller rockers. Ford cast iron heads and Buddy Barr open letter valve covers. Everybody told me they would not fit. I fretted about it for years. 5 years ago when I built my motor I was prepared to use spacers or double gaskets or anything I needed to make it work. ( the only thing I did was to cut out the baffle) and they fit fine with stock cork gaskets (one) I have a high lift camshaft and I have run the motor past 7 grand a few times...No problame-o,
jimbo