Valve spring retainers
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 254
Likes: 3
From: Tampa Bay Florida
Valve spring retainers
Can anybody out there explain why Chevy finds it necessary to install those long skirted valve spring retainers when no aftermarket cam vendors offer them for their cam/spring kits? Seems like a lot of unnecessary dead weight on the valve train. Also seems like every racer cans them. So if they suck, why does Chevy continue using them?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 6,192
Likes: 750
From: near the thumb in the mitten
Originally Chevrolet V8 did not has valve stem seal on guide. Only the little O ring that goes between the valve spring retainer and keepers. The cap was to keep oil a way from guide. Chevrolet was late to go to "on guide" valve seal, it was sometime in the mid 70's
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 254
Likes: 3
From: Tampa Bay Florida
Thanks Kevova. I was just curious about that. So it's just olde technology then. I found a pair of 348 heads when I was a teenager in the early 60's. They had the same skirted retainers. I figured that the technology would have changed by the late 70's.
