The Cal-look Lounge

Hi everyone

Wanted to ask for peoples opinion on the best way forward with rockers covers on my engine.  Currently have original covers with breather connectors weld in place.  They work well but I've always wondered whether it is worth upgrading to after market ones, for example CSPs:

http://www.csp-shop.com/cgi-bin/cshop2/front/shop_main.cgi?func=det&wkid=14113822393&rub1=Engine&rub2=Valve%20Train%20%2F%20Cylinder%20Heads%2CValve%20Covers&artnr=20171a&pn=0&sort=&all=

The engine is hi-po 2276.

Any thoughts or recommendations?

The reason is that I'm testing using some exhaust wrap and a few people having been smiling whilst mentioning how good it looks until oil leaks!  Apparently it smells too if I get a leak :), all positive stuff.  The weak point seems to be the breather tube connections on the rocker covers as well as the cork gasket.

Cheers

Stuart

scat stock style ones work well weld a an fitting on them and i use silicone gaskets :-) just wish my pushrod tubes didnt leak lol

I have used the Scat stainless ones for some years now. They seem to work fine.

ditto, best  available for the money

Thanks for the info, where did you get them, especially the silicone gaskets?

If your stock ones don't interfere with your valve train I would keep them. The Scats are good, I use them as well, but the stock bails are higher quality.
I am interested in the silicone gaskets too. They would work good on stock covers too I bet.

the rev-master covers are sweet as hell and use the U-shape rubber. And you support a piece of cal-look history.

This might be of interest too for you  ;D

If your German is OK, or dont mind google translate, here;s the original topic

http://bugfans.de/forum/motor-allgemein/konnen-ventildeckel-wirklich-die-kopftemp-senken-t5575-60.html

Available in all-out fins, or a CNC-cut version that will actually fit a standard body.
O-ringed, real metal-to-metal contact, o-ringed under the bolts as well, which helps keeping them tight.

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They look funky! how much $$$?

Where can I get silicone gaskets?

Can you tell me how rocker covers will improve the performance of an engine that can use stock covers?

If you want to impress everybody with how fancy your car looks then by all means get the pretty rocker covers. If you want to impress everybody by kicking their ass in a race then do as Anthony suggested and keep the stock covers so you can spend the money on modifications that improve the car's function or quality.

Anthony, John at Aircooled sells the sillycone rocker-cover gaskets. I will get them when I need new gaskets but I don't know when that will be since the Fel-Pro neoprene rocker-cover gaskets that I got for $5 at NAPA Auto Parts still do the trick after three years. They work great.

http://vwparts.aircooled.net/SILICONE-Valve-Cover-Gasket-T1-2-3-Pair-VW-1-p/vw-1.htm (http://vwparts.aircooled.net/SILICONE-Valve-Cover-Gasket-T1-2-3-Pair-VW-1-p/vw-1.htm)

http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/CatalogItemDetail.aspx/Valve-Cover-Gasket-Set/_/R-FPGVS26062R_0147112893
 (http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/CatalogItemDetail.aspx/Valve-Cover-Gasket-Set/_/R-FPGVS26062R_0147112893)

The big-finned covers i showed were originally developed for the Formula-Vee class. Where engines run on their limit for a full race.
The heads are quite exposed on these vehicles and Heinz Willibald (a well respected engine 'guru' for the Vee's) developed these covers to
give them every single bit of cooling they could get, they rely on the metal-to-metal contact, hence the o-ring, no insulating gasket.

According to him (years ago), his testing showed 5 to 10 degree C drop in CHT on engines 'tortured' on the dyno on long full power pulls. (not sweeping, but maintaining peak HP)

just my humble opinion:
For dragracing, where you more or less rely on 'mass' instead of metal to air cooling capacity i dont think they would help much as there is simply no time on the 1/8 or 1/4 to fully develop a heat flow on them that
would be considered significant. (I.E. you dont start with a 'hot' engine, then release the big HP)

Will the Scat stainless ones clear Pauter 1.5:1 rockers?

While shopping for stainless rocker covers take a look at the difference between stainless steel and carbon steel thermal conductivity.

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/thermal-conductivity-d_429.html (http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/thermal-conductivity-d_429.html)

Stainless has 30 percent of the thermal conductivity of plain carbon steel. It is true that aluminum conducts four times more thermal energy than steel but in the real world I do not think that you would see much advantage. On the other hand it does not seem to make sense to pay extra money for something that has a quarter of the thermal conductivity of the part it replaces. You don't want to make it harder for the engine.

They did for me.

Me too.

Chris

the advantage is they are taller so offer more clearance for big lift particularly when you run longer valves and the rockers are shimmed away from the heads to get geometry correct

cheers Richie

got gaskgets from karmann konnection  :)

Most of my leaks with the bolt ons came from the bolt holes. I also like just unclipping the cover to adjust the valves.  I like shiny a little more than the next guy, so i am drawn to the scats. I got my Scats used. Many people told me they were not good, I (as usual) had to find out for myself and am happy with them.

That's interesting, as I was always under the impression that Formula Vee guys had to operate under extreme rules... my dad races a Formula Vee car and the story I've always been told is they are very limited to what's allowed, primarily only stock factory parts (albeit those parts are modified). 

Thats all i know, and all that i've been told about them. Since Willibald is no more, i can't ask what and how, sorry.
Covers work great though, for the street...drag racing does not need them, unless you want to look fancy  ;D

Those things look like big old 2-stroker heads!

I've got some old '70s plain alloy covers on an old single-port hotrod I picked up from a local guy. I look at them as I go into the shed and always wonder whether they would actually cool the oil a bit or heat it up slightly.  ???

I've got a pair of the bolt on finned alloy Bugpack ones which take the c-channel gasket and the conical rubber washers under the bolt heads. They're really old ones, before the ones with the current logo cast in. The name looks like its been made up of individual letters like the DynoSoar ones I've seen. They can be made to work with regular gaskets and a decent sealant, but the bolt holes are tricky to seal so I swapped for the Scat clip on steel ones!