81c3

[QUOTE=Joe C;1594502522]interesting - I don't recall ever seeing any kind of warning or restrictions. seems to me, there was no instructions in the box, and I don't recall reading anything on-line. it's been a year+ now, some 4000+miles, and no issues, no leaks, bone dry. I just went to summit racing's site, and looked at the application data - covers all gen I small blocks from 1959 thru 1986. no warnings. where exactly did you see the warning? you might want to give fel-pro tech support a call. personally, I can't see where or how that warning would apply to anything street driven car - ???

BTW, I used the similar, center bolt design on my 90 - coming up on 4 years now, around 10K miles, and no leaking issues.[/QUOTE

Directions came in the package on a single slip of paper..... Im not incredibly concerned with what it says about the EGR.... I cant see how there would be an issue.. BUT, more importantly,
** this:
I installed the gasket where I can read the words "pushrod side" on the tab and the tab is closest to the intake side of the engine.

This is correct yes?

Joe C

[QUOTE=81c3;1594503027]correct!

70ZZ3 96LT4

I use 50 INCH POUNDS to tighten the valve cover bolts on my 1985 with no problems.

VikingTrad3r

cork with hylomar in liberal application to all mating sufaces, printed as per this video is the answer to ironhead valvecovers. done on 85 and early 86.

hylomar is ....somehow...a secret among aerospace and exotic manufacturers. do not know how. its amazing.

https://youtu.be/uirZ0oH4k7I



assembly example. my only comment here is that i have never used the special red stuff. just the universal blue. I have used universe of blue on my entire car. Everything from head gaskets to intake gaskets to water pump gaskets to thermostat to call the temp sensor thread coding. Everything weather need to coding. and some, such as head gaskets, even when they don't require cutting!. I had minor pitting on the block back near cylinder seven. Where the head gasket blew. I really decked the head, but did not do the block. The Hylomor was used to guarantee no failure in this area again.

if you do this on cork, its gauranteed to work. dont overtorque those little bolts. 50 INCH lbs.

https://youtu.be/6gKbg8ah0c4

https://youtu.be/yXiVZIBoHL0

I don't work for this company, so far I have bought three tubes of this stuff off of Amazon.com. I can't find it for sale anywhere.

81c3

Well, I completed the job tonight after work. I think I have success... After I got it buttoned up, I started it up and idled it until it was at operating temps. My heart sank as I smelled that oil burning on the exhaust scent.... I thought maybe it was residual from the leak...

I ran the car down to the car wash and power washed the engine really getting in there close to where the oil had been dripping down the sides of the heads. Got done and let the car idle while I dried off the engine and the rest of the car. Brought it home, pulled into the garage and dang it, still smelled the oil burn smell.... but no where near as strong... also didn't see it smoking off the exhaust anymore.

Shut it down and checked it all out. Ran a clean white rag up under the lip of the valve cover flange and the rag remained white.... I was pleased to say the least... I'm guessing that either there is more oil toward the bottom of the engine that I couldn't get to..... OR, theres a leak from somewhere else...

So I'm assuming that when the engine is running is when the valve covers would leak more so than when its sitting off.... Ill check it in the morning and see what I see...

I suppose I'm a little paranoid

Thanks for all the advice on this... Kind of crazy after doing a bunch of SBC, SBF, SBP valve cover gaskets that this little 86 Vette would be so involved....

Joe C

hope you got it this time, and you can put this issue to bed. sealing VC's is such a simple thing, but for some reason, iron head L98's seem to give some folks fits. your degree of analicity is linear to your degree of success. good luck, hope we're done here.

as for the hylomar - no doubt good stuff, just I am not a big cork fan. i'm thinking I may have used hylomar years ago, but can't recall the exact product name. seems to me I used that stuff to seal the bottom end, side cases on an old triumph Daytona 500 i had back in the early 70's. with all the advances in gasket technology, IMO, no reason to go old school cork, but then again, it may have it's place. haven't used (pure) cork in years, and I doubt anything new OE uses cork. anyway, simple problem, complex thread, and i'm guessing we had fun - ???

still waiting to hear back from the OP....

81c3

I was very careful and followed every step. I used a wire brush on my De Walt drill to clean the flanges, followed by Scotchbrite and then wiped down with Xylene again. I even took a small flat file to the bolt hole areas and trued them up a bit, & de burring them. For the head surface, I just kept cleaning the surface with Xylene until it was 100% oil free and dry. I "white rag" tested every inch of everything.

I used blue loctite on the studs. The only thing I could'nt get a hold of was the aluminum washers... I wound up using polished stainless washers under the wire retainer brackets. There were 2 aluminum washers left from the last person doing the job, so 2 out of 8 have them.

Other than that, torqued down in steps to 50 lb/in and thats it.

I tried sending a private message to the OP but his mailbox is full..... I wanted to apologize for hi jacking his thread... like to know what his turn out was though!!

81c3

just to let everyone know, I went on about a 20 mile cruise tonight to dinner with my wife. Got home and checked the V/C flanges for any sign of a leak. NONE to be found! Dry as can be. Still smell some oil burning off, but for a very short time and not as strong. Im pretty sure its residual from the previous leaking V/C's

So thanks for all the help Joe C and everyone who had good info here!