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Hi,
Please can anyone advise which valve covers will fit my 302 EFI ford.
I am nearing putting thois engine into my 66 Mustang with an AOD Gearbox and I just fitted the inlet manifold.
The valve covers are from Jegs/Summit which stated that they were for a 84/92 EFI engine but the inlet manifold will not fit as it fouls on the valve covers. Expensive mistake for me but as I bought them a while ago, its too late to return.
Any help greatly appreciated.
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Could install spacer between upper and lower manifolds. Just make sure you have clearance to your hood and support braces. Grab some play-doh and see how much space you have for clearance. Hey even imitation will work. 😁
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Are you using roller rockers or the stock rockers?
Reason I ask.........tall valve covers are not needed for stock rocker arms(although they DO look cool.
6sally6
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Think I have two or three sets of stock height 5.0 valve covers in the shop if you need a set PM me. They work fine for stock engines. They will not clear typical stud mount roller rockers with polylocks atop them, BUT they do clear pedestal mount roller rockers like the Crane/Ford ones the Cobras used.
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These are my favorites. 1982-1984 5.0 Mustang. The 84 version is better as they are thicker at the bolts, less prone to cracking.
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Thanks for the help.
I did think about installing a spacer but wasn't sure if it would foul the brace.
The engine is a stock Ford 92 EFI motor.
I would like to fit a nice set of covers otherwise I will have to get the stock ones blasted and painted.
Thanks MS, I will take a look at those suggestions.
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Very few strut tower braces clear the intake if its spaced up in the Fox body cars. I can't say about a retrofit application into an older car.
With an EFI intake I don't really worry much about what the valvecovers look like. The one side is buried under the intake anyway. If stock covers clear I'd just blast and paint them to match the engine. I would run them on my '89 GT if they cleared the polylocks. Instead I run a set of SVE ones from LMR. Based on comments on Summit's site I think these are the same as the ones sold by Canton for a considerably higher price. They were a bit rough so I block sanded the tops flat, blasted, primed, and painted them and was quite please with the results. Here's a link to them:
Like I said the finish is kind of rough, not really brushed and not really polished, like the 10 year old Chinese kid who was finishing them got half way to polished and got distracted by Pokemon. The included baffle won't clear polylocks (I built my own that does), and the included fasteners for the baffle would never work (I used some grub screws instead). The fill cap may or may not be to your taste. It wasn't to mine, so I found a stock cap will work fine and used that instead. They need some work, but for $110 for cast covers that clear ploylocks it was hard to argue with. If I'd paid over $200 for the Canton branded ones I might have been mad...
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MS, Are these valve covers any good for EFI motors?
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They will clear the intake manifold. They do have the extra pcv port that would need to be blocked and the oil fill hole is at the wrong end of the valve cover. So, technically, not a direct bolt on, I guess.
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Thanks for the suggestions. I think I will take your advice, get my originals blasted and painted and then sell my 2 pairs of valve covers.
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You may want to avoid having them blasted as there will be no way to get any residual blast media from under the baffles without extra work. I bought a set of bead blasted covers for my FE for $10 and had to pull the baffles out to get all the stuff out. Also, if they bead blast the insides you will have residual glass on the surface that won't simply wipe off. I had to sand and then wire brush to get it all out - the painted set that hadn't been cleaned for $20 would have been a better buy. Maybe some paint remover and wire brushing would be safer for an engine part.
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Since there's no need to blast inside the valve covers simply mask the underside and all openings to prevent media from getting in. I've blasted all kinds of parts that had areas which couldn't come into contact with media for a variety of reasons (sealing surfaces, etc.). Regular old duck tape and careful use of the blast nozzle is all it took to prevent issues. For the underside you can cut some cardboard to fill the big void in the middle then just tape over the rails and onto the cardboard. Run a razor blade around the perimeter so there's no loose edge for the air/media to lift and toss them in the cabinet. If you are farming out the blasting I'd prep and mask them before dropping them off. That way you know it was done correctly. I did that on a rear housing I had blasted and powder coated and it came back without a hint of blast media inside it.
There's nothing like media blasting to prep parts for paint, especially cast aluminum. The issue with painting aluminum is the oxide layer. Blasting removes that. Just be sure to prep and prime the parts within 4 hours for best adhesion. I started using zinc chromate primer on aluminum years ago restoring aircraft parts and find its the best aluminum primer out there. You can get it in spray cans at NAPA. Topcoat with engine enamel in the color of your choice.
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