Fitment of polished aluminum valve covers

[Rusty57]

I agree that the solution you were using will give proper valve cover sealing.

I doubt if there are any issues with the rocker shaft caps on your engine. I would encourage you to check them for cracks when you install the proper studs.

The check could be as simple as turning the engine over until one of the valves next to one of those caps is open. That is when there is upward load on the rocker shaft. You might be able to see a small gap on the side of the cap that the stud goes through. Do this without the nut on the stud.

Or you could remove the cap completely and inspect it. If you remove it do that when the valves on either side of the cap are closed to minimize the load on the cap.

[fijidad]

All this discussion is encouraging me to pull the valve covers on our /57 and polish them. Plus it probably would not hurt to adjust the valves.

I am confused by the discussion about "adjustable" studs. While I have never worked on a Y-block I have done lots of rocker arm shafts on various engines. What I clearly know is that when there is a top cover on a rocker arm stand with 2 bolt holes there needs to be a way to clamp both sides of the cover. Otherwise one side of the cap will try to lift due to the upward force in reaction to the valve opening. An analogy is only putting one nut on a connecting rod or main bearing cap.

My understanding of the Y-block is that there are 2 locations where studs are used instead of cap screws. In those 2 locations the stud is fully seated into the head. The a flat washer, a lock washer, and a nut are installed. The nut is tightened to properly clamp that side of the cap.

The valve cover slides over the stud and a seal and nut are used to hold it down.

Am I missing something unique about the Y-block?

I'm with you on this Rusty57. I've attached an image of the existing condition on my '56, and am fully convinced that, while there may be minimal adjustment...but not much...a primary function is to secure the rocker arm shaft support to the head. There is indeed a flat washer, lock washer and then a nut to secure it all to the head. See the image below.

It would have helped if I actually attached the image...

[fijidad]

The studs for the aluminum valve covers are longer than the ones for the steel valve covers. I think the studs you have probably weren't screwed into the valve train completely so that they could be used. For your situation you need to order the following: 354576S Stud - Used With Aluminum Valve Covers (this is from the CASCO catalog). That should take care of your problem.
Lew Bachman
1957 Colonial White

Thanks very much 57Birdman. I removed all four studs and found 3 of one size (3 7/8") and one of another size (4 1/8"). So that's messed up. See the image below. I'm going to order the studs you mentioned and have it added to my pending CASCO order.

I guess this is the reason we "restore" these old Birds. To make right what isn't, and fix things that, over the last 67 years, have been fooled around with and/or just plain screwed up. Thank goodness for the CASCOs of this world.

Well, no luck with CASCO: " The 354576S Studs are currently unavailable. Our source no longer makes them. We are trying to locate another source but looks like it will be some time before we get any. I have added them to the order as a backorder so we will notify you when they become available."
Thanks,
Alicia Hunt
740/622-8561
Classic Auto Supply Co., Inc

I'll check with some other TB parts suppliers, but may have to resort to making them somehow.

[Rusty57]

One alternative is to have a local machine shop make a set from a 1018 cold drawn steel round bar. Or if you have the time and patience make them yourself. That is a lot of thread cutting by hand!

[fijidad]

One alternative is to have a local machine shop make a set from a 1018 cold drawn steel round bar. Or if you have the time and patience make them yourself. That is a lot of thread cutting by hand!

Thanks Rusty. I found them at MAC's so ordered them from there. I thought about making them from bolts at Home Depot or some such, but I've got plenty of things to do, so just bit the bullet. Plus the $10 shipping costs. Does any else find what I perceive to be high shipping costs annoying?

[ward 57]

We just have to live with the shipping costs. They don't inflate them for extra profit. The cost of moving things has exploded with the cost of fuel.

[MarkR]

I agree with Ward. It helps to keep a list of small items you know you will need during the restoration like your valve cover studs. Then order some of those items along with them. They can include more items for the same ten bucks up to a point. Living in Alaska 50 years shipping was always a concern.

[Jimntempe]

One alternative is to have a local machine shop make a set from a 1018 cold drawn steel round bar. Or if you have the time and patience make them yourself. That is a lot of thread cutting by hand!

Thanks Rusty. I found them at MAC's so ordered them from there. I thought about making them from bolts at Home Depot or some such, but I've got plenty of things to do, so just bit the bullet. Plus the $10 shipping costs. Does any else find what I perceive to be high shipping costs annoying?

If you try to make them from bolts you will find the threads are different on each end!! When I replaced mine I discovered someone had done exactly that, used a piece of threaded rod, for one of the studs. Luckily the end with the wrong thread was the top nut end so the engine threads had not been buggered up.

[Rusty57]

That is why I stated that they needed to be made from round bar. The threads are different to make sure the studs are installed correctly.

It is easier from a manufacturing perspective to cut coarse threads into cast iron. So the threads in the head are coarse. By default the "up" end of the stud becomes fine-threaded.

[paul2748]

Too late now, but I find all sorts of studs at a local hardware store.

[fijidad]

I received the four new valve cover studs from Mac's/Eckler/Tapco (Part number 6A527) today.

See the image below.

As it turns out, none of the existing studs were the right length.

So, starting new.

[fijidad]

Hopefully the end of this story...

I received the replacement longer valve cover studs from Eckler/MAC's and installed them bottomed out in the head.

They were too short, still, to accommodate the new valve cover gasket, and the thickness of the rubber grommet and new flat washer. See the first image.

So, I found thinner washers and pushed and shoved and got nuts on them to sit overnight, thinking something might compress and then they would work.

No such luck.

So, I removed it all and backed out the new studs two complete turns, then reinstalled everything.

Bingo. There was now room for the new acorn nuts, and the rest of it.

You can see the first and second iterations of the install in the images below. Plus I threw in an image of the engine bay just for kicks.

[ward 57]

No wonder you are having problems. Those gaskets are twice as thick than needed. When mine are cinched down the washers are just a bit below the veins. NAPA has the proper gaskets in stock. about $16.

[paul2748]

Make sure the nub of the gasket is fully in the hole. If that doesn't fix the problem, then cut the gasket so it's thinner. That's what I do to the same gasket, but when it is used for fastening the valley cover. Make sure the washers are smaller than the hole for it as they should fit down inside the ribs as was mentioned earlier.

Does the rubber gasket also have a washer on it? The ones for the steel covers have a vulcanized washer as part of it and it may be covered by rubber.. Make sure yours do not have that vulcanized washer

[Jimntempe]

That just doesn't look right. Those new rubber washer/seals should seat down into the hole in the valve cover. When its all together the top of the rubber is below the height of the fins on the valve cover. Even the metal washer might be slightly below the fin height.