[PonchoV8]

If so, what are they priced at commonly?

[PonchoV8]

If so, what are they priced at commonly?

[poncho-mike]

The SD455 valve covers are painted engine color and have the oil deflector shields welded into them. I'm not sure if all of the 73-74 engines have this style valve cover, but I know most of the 400 and 455 4-barrel engines do.

The welded fingers replaced the oil deflector that mounted to the head bolts on earlier performance engines.

The SD455 decals are repop'd, but there was an error in them. The word "depressions" was spelled "despressions" in the repops.

The PVC valve was integrated into the valve cover on the SD455, so that part is different.

Mike

[PonchoV8]

So the valley pan will be different too. No PCV outlet.

[poncho-mike]

No, the valley pan is the same.

On the SD455 engine, the rubber grommet that the PCV valve fits into is a solid rubber plug. It looks identical to the standard part, except for it has no hole in the middle.

Mike

[x-bird2]

yup, like mike says, valley pan the same, solid grommet. my '73 was optioned with chrome valve covers. you can usually tell the repop covers from the originals by the size of the relief radius in the side of the cover where the cover bolts are. repops are a little "tight" in that regard. the oil fill cap with the integrated pcv valve and line is unique to the sd and not available unless used or someone has an nos piece, which i've never seen. the gaskets on them tend to crush down and allow some seepage-- they're sandwiched in the piece in a non-replaceable manner.

[johnta1]

x-bird, you have chrome covers that came in 73?

My 73 has chrome covers,but was told at POCI that they weren't original and got deducted points. They were on the car when I got it,so don't know if original or not.

[poncho-mike]

I looked at the option list for 73 and didn't see any type of chrome accessories for the engine. According to the books I've seen, 70 was the last year (until later W72s) where Pontiac installed factory chrome valve covers.

Do your valve covers have the oil deflectors welded to the inside top of the valve covers? These things are on there to deflect the oil coming out of the pushrods. If they are left off, the oil could overshoot the rockers entirely and end up running back to the oil pan. You might not be getting enough oil to the valve stems and rockers.

Mike

[johnta1]

Yes,mine have the deflectors.

I figured they were probably off an earlier engine.

As Poncho-mike said,I couldn't find a listing in the option lists.But a lot of times they aren't complete. That's why I asked.

[Lloyd-TX]

Pontiac absolutely did NOT install chrome rocker covers on ANY '71 through '76 engines. The W72 chrome rocker covers had an extremely "grainy" chrome finish AND the welded-on integral oil "drippers". The '67 through '70 OEM Pontiac rocker covers had a really nice, shiny chrome finish and NO integral oil drippers. Those engines came from Pontiac with seperate drippers which were fastened to the center three studded head bolts.

[x-bird2]

i erred by using the word "optioned". car had them when i got it as well as the previous owner when he got it from the original owner. they're the earlier style, no deflectors, but are definately pontiac covers and not aftermarket.