hi all, boring time of year, cars put away till April, lots of time to think. just saw a picture of aluminum thunderbird valve covers for a 292 or 312, are they available? any where, who might have a set?, or who sells repro,thanks for any info. jerry
Here is one specific set...
https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwih1N6zx9WCAxWhNtQBHdlsAw4YABAKGgJvYQ&gclid=CjwKCAiAx_GqBhBQEiwAlDNAZhJT0DxAi6HGn7qreMkTUMCow979gLYV_RBFIXsEXT9iKwCwbJh8EhoCBF4QAvD_BwE&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAESVuD26lkGXP-rLXFbSSI3SnG5_BujcI3UyoCtwmEz28EC8vPotuvITWwSOvEx7XYtxrn76witH3hTuImbk6E81Dt-ig8l8FwS8hp3YrQRe57_0tpIazhk&sig=AOD64_2i8Nsb71inrSF2stPAV3ClThNKNg&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwjni9azx9WCAxVJnWoFHT1kBcEQ9aACKAB6BAgIEDY&adurl=
And here is the page I found them on with many more choices...
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=aluminum+thunderbird+valve+covers+for+a+292+or++312%2C
Have fun looking in the toy stores! :003:
Factory aluminum T-bird covers are usually available on ebay, I bought a set of NOS off ebay for 350. repops may be better quality than originals,but will cost about the same I think they will all look good after some elbow grease. You will also need the long bolts .Good luck.
thanks for the info guys
ok, went to ebay, found a set, WOW, expensive, befor I put out that much money, a few years back didn't some o ne say installing aluminum valve covers could be a pain, that they leak alot? jerrry
I put the aluminum valve covers on my 312 to stop vc leaks and have not leaked a drop of oil since installed.
LTHANKS bARRY
Repops are $320 a piece or $680 a pair with all the attaching parts included, a buddy picked up an original set for $375 that needed a lot of work sanding and buffing.
It took about 6 hours and is a tedious dirty job.
Well, I'll make us all sick. In 1958 I bought a new pair from the local Ford dealer. With a discount I paid just under $17.00 each. That was before Indiana had a sales tax too. Fortunately I still have them on one of my T-Birds.
John
I believe E-Code on this board(Jay Arrow) has an original set for sale.......Maybe DM him and start a conversation.
I have a beautiful set for sale that I have had for 20 25 years.
I came across a pair a while back, cleaned them up and bought a set of adapters to put y-block valve covers on a sbf, put them on my Ranchero with a 351W fools a few people at car shows that aren't that familiar with y-blocks.
Jerry
I tried to send you a PM, but it didn't work for me. Please try to send me a PM.
Jay Arrow
to jay Arrow, ok, my email address is jerrywmalcolmataoldotcom, about the aluminum valve covers for a 312 ford mtr, can you send a picture & $, thanks jerry m
just a after thought, talking about all the work, show about sand blasting and polishing out the high spots, ribs and logal? thanks jerry
Jerry
I can not reach you by that email. Please check it and post it again.
Jay
Also I wish everyone on our site a Happy Thanksgiving and be safe.
hi Jay, don't know what to tell ya, you did try clicking on my name?, or, why not post on my posting, reply?, never had this problem before. or maybe your missing the w in my email address, jerrywmalcolm@aol.com, give it another try, jerry
Quote from: 57chero on 2023-11-22 10:56I came across a pair a while back, cleaned them up and bought a set of adapters to put y-block valve covers on a sbf, put them on my Ranchero with a 351W fools a few people at car shows that aren't that familiar with y-blocks.
I've seen the finned t-bird covers on a sbc once in a while. Harder to spot. I've never said anything about it to the owners, but I wouldn't mind telling them the rocker covers are worth more than the engine.
Insult to the valve covers to be seen on that sort of junk.
What ?
Like I mentioned the adapters and the nice aluminum covers would cost more than the whole sbc engine.
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.ca%2Fitm%2F175440700391&psig=AOvVaw0HfvoILisIzSUAVLmapgZC&ust=1700865248288000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBIQjRxqFwoTCOippvmW24IDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAa
yes I Did understand, but don't want to comply... :003: :deadhorse:
ok, & now back to the subject. what about the sand blasting sides, & polishing out the ribs and logal? any thoughts? jerry
Thats how there done on the early sbf Cobra (powered by ford) valve covers, I don't think that would look good on the t-bird covers they need a full polish IMHO.
Quote from: geraldchainsaw on 2023-11-23 19:46ok, & now back to the subject. what about the sand blasting sides, & polishing out the ribs and logal? any thoughts? jerry
Sand blasting would ruin those T-Bird aluminum valve covers. They would have to be polished out again & having done a great amount of polishing metal to a near or mirror finish I know that doing so would take hours. And don't ever use steel wool on any polished or chrome pieces either.
There are companies that are doing aluminium wheels. it is sort of a bead blasting process, that compresses the Aluminium surface to a near chrome like shine. Unfortunately I have no idea what the English term, word or technical expression to that is. Maybe you should go ask some local car tuning or machinery shops. The look is fantastic and usually very affordable, because it is an industrial process. It just needs the right machinery and beads and personell to do. it is usually not a very labor intense work (except grinding/welding or paint scraping very faded paint or scraped wheels), I think it would work magic on bare cast aluminum parts like og. T bird covers. It would safe a ton of time in grinding and dirty hand polishing.
imho, T bird covers don't look that good partially blasted and highlight polish on the ribs. They should be fully polished.
Quote from: rmk57 on 2023-11-23 16:36Like I mentioned the adapters and the nice aluminum covers would cost more than the whole sbc engine.
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.ca%2Fitm%2F175440700391&psig=AOvVaw0HfvoILisIzSUAVLmapgZC&ust=1700865248288000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBIQjRxqFwoTCOippvmW24IDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAa
I don`t have adapters, I did buy a pair of that companies valve cover spacers for my 59s 428FE, as the factory 428 Cobra Jet aluminum covers didn`t fit with the higher rocker shaft mounting height that the TFS aluminum heads use. So for this year I used a set of taller 427 valve covers for clearance, but when I was at the FE Race and Reunion in Beaver Springs Pennsylvania last year, Medice Manufacturing had a display there, and I bought a pair of their spacers. I haven`t installed them yet, but they do look to be very nicely made.
As for the Y Block aluminum Thunderbird valve covers, I agree that those look best fully polished, and are just the coolest looking valve covers that I have ever seen for a Y Block. Actually, Ford has always made some great looking valve covers for their engines.
ok, we've talked about where to buy, an not to sand blast, but none said any thing about coating the covers after there polished, OK, I should read my msgs more, ssays Not to put any coating o n the valve covers, now all I have to do is either wait for some pictures or look some more
I would like the instructions on how to polish these. I tried a buffer and some jeweler's rouge, but no appreciable improvement.
I would not put any coating on polished aluminum parts. If at some point the polishing needed a little touch up you would have to somehow remove the coating even if you only wanted or needed to hand polish a small area or to machine polish out some scratches. There are some motorcycles that come from the factory with polished aluminum engine case parts. They are not coated with anything & do just fine. I never put any type of coating on the many aluminum parts that I machine polished.
I have to admit that after we lost the only chrome plating shop up here I did spray a couple steel parts for my Roadster that I'd machine sanded & polished to a mirror finish with some clear paint. That car isn't subjected to much wet weather & those parts, one spindle & the drag link still look like they have been chromed. :003:
Quote from: cokefirst on 2023-11-26 14:31I would like the instructions on how to polish these. I tried a buffer and some jeweler's rouge, but no appreciable improvement.
These what?
Sorry, I was asking about polishing the Thunderbird aluminum valve covers that came with the engine dress up kit on the 1955-1957 Thunderbird Y block engines. Thanks
This pic is probably what I copied off the little package of polishing compounds that I bought from Sears years ago.
Some basic stuff: For aluminum the Brown Tripoli usually does the trick. While working from coarse to fine with whatever sandpaper or polishing compound you need to sand or polish in a straight line & then go with the next finest paper or compound at a 90 degrees from the last step. I don't think that would work if you are trying to polish with a buffer that rotates. Got to keep the alternate directions in a straight line. On something like the valve covers or anything that has a dominant length you want to finish by going length-ways. <------- -------->
That doesn't work for round parts like a rod or tube. I usually find a way to spin them, polish away & it works just fine.
I made the machine that I use for sanding & polishing. I uses a round expander wheel that I got from Eastwood years ago & long sandpaper belts instead of the little sandpaper belts that come with & just fit around that 6 inch or so diameter wheel & wear out pretty fast. I think the belts I use have a six foot circumstance. I can change them in just seconds. I can also quickly attach different buffing wheels that each are covered with their own particular buffing compound. You don't want to use more than one compound on the same buffing wheel.
If anyone is interested I *might* have some pix of my crude looking sanding/polishing machine on my embarrassingly messy & cluttered bench.
Polishing compounds.jpg