When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Jim is 100% correct. The limiting factors are the length of the rocker studs and the length of the Polylock nuts. Most aftermarket performance builds make these two components much longer than they need to be.
The photo below shows how I installed roller rockers under stock valve covers on stock-height heads. The 2.25" dimension is for stock C2 valve covers. In this case I had to buy the shortest ARP studs I could find and the shortest Polylock nuts I could find, and then shorten them just bit more. However, if you have aftermarket heads, the rails that the valve covers sit on are likely to be 0.3" to 0.5" higher than stock. So, you can use off-the-shelf studs and Polylock nuts with no modifications at all.
Nice template! I wish I'd thought of making one......
My issue wasn’t that I needed standard height to fit. No valve cover will fit and I want to keep the power brake booster. Here is my fix.
Summit sells a heavy gauge (16 gauge) stamped steel, chrome set for less than $30 that are beautiful. I cut the corner off, welded a flat plate over the hole and painted it silver (not even close to chrome, but it is pretty much hidden under the booster). Here’s some pics:
Previously completed functional cowl induction project. Trimmed corner of the Summit valve cover. Covers installed. You can barely see the trimmed and painted piece.
Wow, that engine looks great! I like the "427 stroker" labels.
I recently built a 383 for my '67 and its about all the power that I can reasonably handle, but I have a nice 400 block that I keep thinking about building into a 427 just for fun. Somehow the idea of a 427 small block seems cool to me.
Regarding your booster clearance, does your engine use a tall-deck block? If not, the only thing that that would raise the valve covers would be the (typically) higher rails that the valve covers rest on with aftermarket heads. I think the increase is usually 0.3" to 0.5". That alone should not cause stock valve covers to hit the power brake booster.
I think the problem is the valve cover rails on the Blueprint heads are taller than the stock heads thus lifting the valve cover closer to the buster. The 383 has the same problem but clears the buster, barely.
With careful choice of rocker arm nuts and valve cover gaskets, you can use stock valve covers, if that would be of interest. There is nothing inherent about roller rockers themselves which mandate tall valve covers.
Jim's correct, as usual. My 327's roller rockers fit under stock Corvette script valve covers. The simplest solution is usually the best.
11-10-2018, 07:51 AM
