I've seen enough 1970 442 engine pictures on the net showing the notched valve covers in different mounting positions to confuse the crap out of me. I have a 1970 442 convertible with power brakes and a/c, if this makes a difference. Does any know where the notches are positioned when installed? I just bought a set from Parts Place and one cover has short notch and the other cover has the longer notch. Please help!

 

Back of the engine

 

The long notch goes on the passenger side. The notch is close to the firewall to provide clearance around the AC box. The short notch is on the drivers side, and provides clearance around the brake master cylinder. Yes, I agree with you that there's a lot of pictures floating around the net with the notches in the wrong places. John

 

The notches go towards the rear of the car.

 

Like this.

 

I really wish that they would remove the images of these valve covers incorrectly installed from image searches. It is frustrating to see a nicely done engine bay with the covers installed backwards. I think that many unknowingly mimic the mistake thinking that it is correct.

 

I think it's funny when you see them on backwards on the front of the engine.

 

Thanks for your help guys. Sometimes the simplest things are not that simple. I have a 70 Cutlass cv w30 wanabee with notched valve covers, and honestly, I'll bet they are not on correctly!

 

Just try reaching the #8 spark plug with the covers on backward. It's hard enough with them on correctly!

 

I really don't understand why people are confused by this.


Why would the notches need to be forward? The full size cars use the same accessory brackets and do not have notched covers. Obviously the notches are not necessary to clear the accessory brackets, so they must go to the rear.

 

Engines look great! I have my 455 on the stand. Just painted olds blue. Did You se gloss black or semi on the pulleys? I like them.

 

I used semi-gloss black on the pulleys and brackets and Hi temp
grill black on the manifolds.

 

I'm a big fan of Rust-Oleum gloss black, lol. It's cheap and holds up really well. I have to say I'm a little disappointed in the Fusick 455 blue. The color is beautiful but it's already burned off the head exhaust ports. The VHT Olds gold held up VERY well in that same area. Oh well.
Tru-blue, I also use grill paint on my headers. It gets a little dull but it's really easy to touch up with a brush. I used silver this time around.

 

Nice looking motors fellas. Just scored some notched valve covers. When they arrive I won't install them incorrectly because of your pics. Thanks

 

Sadly enough, mine are on backwards from previous owner.

 

You're assuming a lot of common sense out there Joe....

I was looking at a supposedly mostly original, low mile (around 24k) '72 98 coupe a few months ago & I noticed it had notched valve covers on it. The original purchaser had died & the son was selling the car. I queried him about the valve covers & he said his dad sometimes changed things around & maybe he had installed them sometime in the last 46 years?? The engine bay did not quite match up to what I thought a 24k car should look like so I passed on the deal. I didn't have time to check the VIN on the block against the cars VIN... but I wondered if someone had switched the entire engine at some point. I should have bought it regardless as it had every factory option & was VERY nice....

 

While I am not a believer in the "used up the parts at the end of the model year" theory, this is now the second 1972 motor I'm aware of that had notched covers that should not have been there. I saw this 1972 350 at Carlisle a couple of years ago, and it sure looked like the motor (and covers) had never been apart. There was only one layer of paint (gold) on those covers.

 

The first notched valve covers I ended up with came one at a time??
Why have one on a car and not the other??

Now I finally have a "pair"
I had them valve covers chromed and put them on a car

 

While I can't speak to the specific cars you got yours from, the 1967 400 cars only got ONE notched cover from the factory - the driver's side. 1967 was the only year that used the larger 11" power booster with the 64-67 style A/C box that provided more clearance on the passenger side. 64-66 cars used a 9" brake booster, and of course the 68-72 cars had the more intrusive A/C box that required the passenger side notch.

 

notch manual brakes 001.JPGI was told my 1972 should have notched covers.. Both sides , seems silly with manual brakes...LOL

The small notch one did come from Jason with a 1966 and 1967, That one makes sense!

The long notch just showed up here...

 

There is never a "use up what's left" theory because all parts are planned, and, if there is an error, they become service replacement parts, or, what is more common, you run out of parts on the last shift. This, for an engineer like me, delays model launches, which we always seem to do on night shift, until the late night, or even worse, the next Monday, and I've been hanging around waiting for them to find wire harnesses. But, I digress.

Ok, what is at work here is part commonization. It is cheaper to put one part with a feature on the car that needs it, AND to put it on the car that doesn't need it, than it is to have two different parts, due to manufacturing and logistics costs. Unless, and sometimes even despite, the part maybe costing more. I do not think notched valve covers cost more than non-notched, it's just a different stamping die. I am going to guess that there is some paper, somewhere, authorizing notched cover use for cars that didn't need it just to eliminate a part option. Then, the 73 model change happened, and I don't know what happened next.

We commonize parts all the time at Toyota plants. It saves pennies per vehicle. Sometimes, we burn money on higher cost parts just to make it easier logistically. For instance, my 07 Tacoma came with no cruise control. I found out you could buy the stick, and the clutch switch, plug them in, and bam, cruise control, and this was because the same wire harness was used. We have, since, made more types of wire harnesses, and now my truck would get a five dollar or so cheaper one. Yes, it would require a separate flow rack or two, but it would eventually save money. Takes work to set up and to do, but saves money. However, valve covers are same price, notch or not. I ABSOLUTELY would have suggested that change had I been there then.

 

Joe,
I MOSTLY agree with you & Koda. But not to be to contentious but I have an original '71 Vista with '70 flat ridge fenders & I know Eric Jensen had a '71 Vista also with '70 fenders on it. My thought was MAYBE the build date was before Jan. 1 (I need to check the cowl tag) of '71 & they used the '70 fenders till that date & then maybe switched to the crumple dimple fenders to comply with federal mandate? Maybe kind of a similar situation with the '72 cars with the rally pack not getting the "fasten seat belt" light on top of the dash till Jan. 1 of '72?

 

Scott,

That's exactly what it is. The crumple zone requirement went into effect for cars built from Jan 1, 1971 onward. Same thing with the CHMSL. That law went into effect on cars built from Jan 1, 1985 onward. I've now had several 1985 cars built prior to that date that did not have the third brake light.

 

Joe, My 67 442 w/air conditioning has the blower motor mounted vertically right next to the rear of the valve cover on the passenger side. It is so close you have to pull the blower motor to remove the pushrods from the head on no. 8 cylinder. I have a hard time getting the notched valve cover off and back on. Can't imagine how hard a non-notched valve cover would be on a 67 442 w/air.

 

The 1964-67 A-body cars all used the same HVAC box and blower motor location. The 1965-67 442s with BBO motors did not use notched covers on the passenger side.