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08-25-2003, 07:04 PM
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Valve cover gasket replacement
I am not much of a mechanic but I own a '64 Chevy Impala with a 283 engine. It looks like there is leakage at the valve cover gaskets. Is there any special tricks I should know about before I replace these? I don't have a chassis manual and it appears they are hard to come by. Here's a question that might appear stupid, but must I drain the oil before removing the valve covers? Any directions as to how to replace the gaskets would be appreciated. Does anyone know of any Canadian sites that I can purchase a chassis manual? Preferrably CD but will settle for paper.
Last edited by Migal12; 08-25-2003 at 07:42 PM. 
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08-25-2003, 08:05 PM
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Valve covers are removed by taking out the 4 retaining bolts and simply lifting them off. Clean off old gaskets and set new one in place then put your cover back on. No draining of any fluids so you should have no problems
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08-25-2003, 08:51 PM
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You should check the gasket surfaces on your valve covers for straightness. A lot of valve cover bolts are tightened down way too much, and this will distort the normally straight surface of the valve cover which will prevent the new gasket from sealing. All you need to do is sight down the long dimension of the valve cover. It should be straight all the way down, pay close attention to where the bolt holes are, that is where the curves would appear. If they are bent, lay the flange of the valve cover on a straight surface, preferably an anvil or even a heavy piece of angle iron, and lightly tap the surfaces until they are straight. then you need to remember that the valve cover bolts do not need to be torqued like a head bolt. If the bolt head size is 7/16 or 1/2, use the shortest wrench you have, and put about one fingers worth of pull on each bolt.
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08-25-2003, 10:07 PM
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Yeah, don't put'em on so tight that they're holding the oil pan on.
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08-25-2003, 11:25 PM
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personally,.....
I like to use some gorilla snot on the valve cover to gasket surface, leave the gasket to head surface clean, that way, you get good seal,(unless your covers are bent) and if you need to remove the valve cover, the gasket USUALLY comes right of with it.... and you can USUALLY reuse the same gasket. If it hasn't been over torqued, and or cooked on.......
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08-25-2003, 11:46 PM
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i guess everyone calls that stuff gorilla snot (3M Adhesive).
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08-26-2003, 12:05 AM
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its more fun than saying "3m weatherstrip adhesive"
 gorilla snot.  that felt good 
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08-26-2003, 01:09 AM
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I use the yellow 3M to glue the gasket to the cover, and Liquid Permatex (#3 or Super 300) on the bottom. This helps sealing, & keeps the gasket from sticking to the head later on. Use load spreaders on the bolts so you get better sealing. With a cork gasket, check the bolt for tightness after a year or so, because the cork tends to shrink a bit with heat & age.
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08-26-2003, 07:43 AM
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Like the others said, make sure the surfaces on the head and cover are clean, make sure the cover is relatively straight. I recommend using Fel-Pro "Perma-Dry Plus" # VS12869T gaskets. AutoZone has them, they're about $20. A little pricier than the standard cork but in my opinion well worth it. No need for any sealers and they have limiters in the bolt holes so you can't over tighten them.
__________________
BSE Racing Engines
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09-01-2003, 05:24 AM
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Thanks for your replies. I have completed the change-out and it went well. Everything is back to normal and no more leaks. I used cork gaskets and a Canadian version of the "gorilla snot"!
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09-01-2003, 02:38 PM
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is the canadian version called GUERILLA SNOT?.....
glad it worked......
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