RRs hitting valve covers?
 

I originally bought my car with the whole LT4 conversion stuff on it. it has 1.6 crane RRs and the stock valve cover gaskets. i was just reading and it says you need taller valve cover gaskets for the proper clearance, my question is, how do i know if the RRs are hitting are not for sure?

take off a cover and look for dents or rub marks -- also look at the rockers they might have been shaved we have done just that on installs with liminated room for the cover < brackets over the top sort of thing - jz

alright im going to pull them as soon as possible because im also going to check the casting number on the heads and make sure my gasket arent leaking there because i have a mean oil leak. So there no real way of telling if theyre hitting without taking the valve covers off?

If the rockers were hitting the covers, you would hear it. Metal on metal.....

- Justin

it does click but i thought that was just them moving, i guess i have to pull the covers and make sure. Am i losing anything from this and is it harming the motor any?

It is certainly not good for the motor. If the rockers are coming up and can't reach full height something is going to have to be under stress and possibly give.

If you put your hand on the valve cover while the car is running you should be able to feel if the rockers are hitting the covers, if they are the stock stamped covers.

Yeah it'd be a pretty noticeable sound or feel if they're hitting. If they are and you need a set of tall covers, let me know if your heads will accept perimeter bolt style covers as I have an almost brand new set I'm looking to get rid of.

they make an adapter kit from center bolt to perimeter bolt valve covers.

LT4 rockers fit under a stock valve cover without any problems. The last engine I had, were stock B2L heads with the LT4 rockers. I ran them for at least 50k without any problems.

Agree, the LT4 setup, if going to hit althing would be on the ribs/supports of the valve covers, not against the top. Because the roller rockers are wider then stock you have to either bend the bottom lip of the support or remove it. You'll know it, then valve covers won't fit all the way down onto the head if the rockets it hitting the cover, about a 1/2" gap.

Roller rockets do tick more so then the stock rockers. Also, there are cork gaskets that are thicker, and I feel seal better then the rubber ones, but this could raise the passinger side enough that the alternator might not fit. I have aftermarket covers ( Wesco alum. ) and I had to notch the alternator to fit properly.

JB

i have 1.6 rockers, i didnt mean them hitting the top of the valve cover itself, but those supports arent they a triangular shape or something? I'm still going to pull the valve covers cause i want to replace the gaskets on them

correct In the pic below you can see where we cut away part of the lower support on the one side to clear the rockers

http://www.97transam.com/gm847cam/install/IMGP2804.JPG

I felt the covers but it doesnt feel like its hitting, but would there be visible damage on just the supports so i can distinguish whether or not they are hitting the supports? sorry for so many questions, i just want to cover everything before i pull the covers and replace the gaskets and stuff

Funny, I didnt even have to do anything to my vc's at all when I installed the rockers. Guess everyone's setup is just a bit different.

Mine was hitting to, and i had the bigger canton valve covers, the noise sounds like a lifter tap, but its not, its most likely going to be the very front rocker, on the passenger side, just behind the alternator, you can trim the support inside the valve cover, i just tapped mine lightly, with a ball peen hammer, and that cleared it enough for me.

you do realize he is not running stock LT4 rocker arms, ... he has aftermarket 1.6 ratio roller rockers, quite different from stockers. and you said you had stock lt4 ones, thats why you didnt need to do anything.

Ahh doh! I just read the LT4 thing and went from there.