I’m using vintage aluminum Corvette valve covers on my ‘59. I’m using 1” spacers to clear the valve train. I’m using a Holley Strip Dominator intake. I never thought about a PCV valve and how to add oil. The closest thing I can come up with is the old style valve cover breathers that are L-shaped and TIG them to the inside of the valve cover, next to the carb. But they aren’t big enough to add oil.
Has anybody else ever faced this problem?
thanks guys.

 

Yes, this has been discussed before. There are some interesting threads and photos showing different approaches. .... I researched them so I could run old finned aluminum Corvette valve covers on a hotrod I'm buiilding with a custom built small block Chevy engine. I'm leaning toward using breathers from Mooneyes like the one below. I plan to mount it to the side of the valve cover toward the carb. The top is removable to add oil. To complete the PCV system I'd need to plumb a fitting, PCV valve and hose from one valve cover to the intake.

 

Pictures would help.
What block are you running and what intake?
Venting the pressure can occur from any opening in the block. If it is an older block, you already have the hole at the back for the draft tube or PCV valve than a modified tube could be fabricated to function as a location for the PCV or fresh air inlet. A hole drilled thru the intake will also provide a PCV location provided it does not breech the induction runners.
If you are capable of TIG welding, a tube welded to the back of the valve cover or spacer with a fabricated baffle could function for the PCV.
Adding oil can also be done thru any hole. Some intakes can be drilled to add a fill tube.
I missed you are using the Holley Strip Denominator - lots of places to drill into the manifold for PCV and a vent / oil tube although the vent / fill tube may need some imagination.
Went out to the garage and looked at the old Eldebrock TM1 I have on the wall, looks similar to the Holley Strip Denominator, but has the fill tube hole. You can pick them up for $75 - $100 and not fool with the fill tube problem if it fits you engine design.

 

Thank you. That’s what I was thinking. I was unaware that you could open the cap to add oil. Looks good.

 

Thanks for your answer. The block does not have the vent in the rear where the “road tubes” used to be located. I’ll try to post a photo today. I’ll examine the intake to see if there’s a good spot for a PCV valve.

 

You probably know this, but a baffle under the PCV valve prevents most oil from being sucked up into the PCV valve. This is most critical in the valve covers where the rocker arms are splattering oil everywhere. You can make one or could steal one out of a 70s model valve cover to add to the underside of the intake or valve cover with welding or mechanical fasteners. I think I have an old valve cover out in the shed if you need me to take pictures and post it for you.

 

Yes, I am able to fabricate one.
Thank you for your kindness.

 

I tried two different methods of venting a 350 block while using finned valve covers. I drilled and tapped a hole in the rear china wall of the block and in my valve cover spacers.

In the block china wall vent I used a valve cover baffle. The valve cover baffle is not as good of an oil separator in the lifter valley as the factory 283/327 tomato can. Extended operating above 4000 rpm pulled considerable oil into the PVC system (about a quart ever 500 miles). This would probable be good for a race car with limited miles driven, or a casual driver that keeps the rpm low, but with 4.11 gears and constant freeway speeds I needed to better address the oil consumption.





I then tapped a hole in a valve cover spacer, and built a few different types of baffles. A threaded pipe goes through the spacer, and pipe fittings on both sides sandwich the spacer wall in between. The baffle nipple in the valve cover spacer shown was eventually shortened because it interfered with the stud girdle, and replaced with an elbow and nipple to draw air in higher in the valve cover chamber.




The valve cover baffle needs a hood to be most effective, to deflect direct oil splash, something more effective than the vented pipe shown or louvered valve cover baffle shown at the china wall. I ended up with an elbow turned up inside the valve cover, a configuration that works, but it would work better if it had a hood. I fabricated another elbow and nipple with a 3/4 copper pipe cap soldered on top as a splash hood, and I tossed it in a drawer until the next valve lash exercise (if I remember).

I tried a few different configurations and realized what makes the tomato can effective is the large interior volume slowing down the airflow to promote the oil to drop out as it flows through the can. I ended up fabricating a remote oil separator that fits under the tin where the coil normally sits (I use a remote E-coil). It draws crankcase air from the valve cover spacer, separates the oil in a large volume chamber with baffles and an air filter, and then scrubbed air is ported off the top of the separator through a PCV valve to the carb base. I use the china wall vent as a drain back hole for the oil collected in the bottom of the separator. Oil filled crankcase air is drawn off the valve cover area through the spacer vent, the oil is separated and drained through the china wall vent, and the cleaner air is drawn into the carb base through a PCV valve. The fresh air intake for the crankcase is through a 63' style oil fill tube in the intake manifold, piped for intake air from the air filter housing base.

This venting ended up being more elaborate than expected, but there is no oil consumption after extended high rpm operation with the separator and piping as described, and the factory finned script valve covers are unmolested and the piping is not obvious to a novice observer. It works, and driving is more fun than wrenching, so it's good enough for now.

If you have valve cover spacers, with or without a stud girdle, this may give you a primer of some of the problems and ideas to come up with a better vent and baffle inside the valve cover & spacer. A vent port in the back of the intake manifold is also a good option instead of a port in the rear china wall, and would probably be an easier location to fabricate a more effective oil splash shield with a larger volume baffle to reduce the air velocity and oil carryover. A rear intake manifold vent port could work as an oil fill port with a funnel, but a normal size oil fill tube in the front of the intake manifold is likely the best solution. A bit of time brainstorming and sketching will come up with improvements over what I did.