Gauging Interest: Custom aluminum valve covers

[Detective Coating]

Looking at making a batch of valve covers similar to the one pictured below. Key things are retaining the oem spark plug wire depth, threaded oil fill hole, -AN fittings (customers choice on size) The valve cover pictured should be in my hands next week to go over some measurements and get some other ideas for a newer revised version of it.

Having this will get rid of the numerous issues with the OEM valve covers such as cracked valve covers, sheared bolt holes, poor ventilation, leaky oil caps, etc. Now this will not be for the cheap asses as a rough estimate would be near $500, give or take some. If you are SERIOUSLY interested, please let me know so I can add you to the list below and I will contact you with further details once everything starts to come together.

If anyone has any other suggestions for this, please give some feedback so we can kick around any other ideas before production begins on them. I would expect it to be at least 3 months before one is done.

Powdercoating will be an option for these, I will get pricing on them once they are done but single stage colors would likely be around $60 and 2 stage colors $90.

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1. Joe Looper
2. Dan Eckenrode

 

[bryanwheat]

What are you doing gasket wise?

 

[Detective Coating]

Good question as I forgot to mention that. I plan to use a cork or paper style gasket that will be cut to fit. It would be highly costly to use the oem gasket.

 

[tonyseagle]

Careful. This thread will likely be closed/deleted if you're not a supporting vendor. Happened with the "CF hatch with a lip spoiler" idea.

I would like one if I could use a COP on it.

 

[bryanwheat]

Sounds like a leak waiting to happen if there isn't a groove to hold the gasket in place.

 

[Detective Coating]

I am a supporting freelancer, though I'm not sure why it's not showing up under my username.

I will keep that in mind and add an option for them since a lot of people run them.

I will come up with something after I look this other one over but milling a gasket groove like the oem one would put the price of this completely unaffordable. The one pictured has been on with a cork gasket.

 

[hypergenesis]

Pretty interested I might be down once it gets to that point in production.

Armin

 

[Lofty]

I like it, but it's kinda ugly.


If you anodize them, and make them insanely sleek looking, I'll buy one.

But they can't leak, or I'll come and cut you.

 

[Justin_l_]

I may be intersested depending on timeframe and how well it seals.

Also to the posibility of a leaking gasket, what if you machined in a relief for a piece of wire similar to an o-ringed head. The wire would bite the gasket and leak posibility would be reduced (not eliminated).

Another thing, do you plan on using baffles in the design? I don't think you mentioned anything about this.

 

[TSITurbo95]

It sounds like a good idea, however, $500 for a valve cover is steep in my book. Like the look/idea of it though. . .

 

[nfernotalon]

I was excited when I saw the title until I saw the price .

 

[T is for TURBO]

Guys, the groove in thes stock VC does nothing but hold it in place, I assume, for a speedy, idiot proof installation at the factory. The sealing surface is flat, so a cork, or paper gasket would be more than enough. I highly doubt the pressure in the valve cover would be enough to blow it out, especially if he has better engineered the crank case vent system. Just don't be a jag when installing the gasket and it WON'T leak.

The only draw back to that type of gasket that I can see is if you have to remove it, scraping all the old material off could a bit monotonous.

 

[LiquidX]

If it's going to be a flat bottom, installing studs in the head would be better to hold the gasket in place. How much stronger is this cover against cracking?

 

[greengoblin]

I was excited when I saw the title until I saw the price .

You have never done any fab work have you.

 

[nfernotalon]

You have never done any fab work have you.

No I haven't but I was hoping around 300. Oh well if it looks good And works awesome I'll get it anyway. I love polished aluminum valve covers.

 

[2slow4now]

I thought about doing this and really 500ish isn't that bad. The aluminum pans that are made for our car are around that. I think I saw a china made one for almost 300. I might be down for one.

 

[99gst_racer]

Justin, Kudos for taking the initiative in getting a few of these replicated. That is a pretty awesome VC. I'd consider jumping on board if I was unhappy in any way with my current valve cover.

Suggestions- Please have them done with a larger filler. Meziere offers some nice 2" cap and bung assemblies that would be perfect for the VC. Also, consider using an o-ring instead of a gasket. It would be easy to cut the groove for it and an o-ring very well may seal better too. It should also last longer and be cheaper to replace as well.


PS - Your Freelancer subscription has expired. It appears that you only wanted it for 30 days.

 

[T is for TURBO]

If it's going to be a flat bottom, installing studs in the head would be better to hold the gasket in place. How much stronger is this cover against cracking?

Precisely, Though I would go one step further and use set screws, because they have a hex machined into one end. That way it would make removeing the valve cover 1000x easier.

 

[99gst_racer]

Precisely, Though I would go one step further and use set screws, because they have a hex machined into one end. That way it would make removeing the valve cover 1000x easier.

It could be built to use the Moroso oil pan stud kit (which allready fits DSM valve covers), and they are broached so installation is a breeze.

 

[T is for TURBO]

It could be built to use the Moroso oil pan stud kit (which allready fits DSM valve covers)

I did not know this, good to know!

and they are broached so installation is a breeze.

THANK YOU, I could not for the the life of me come up with what it was called.

 

[99gst_racer]

I did not know this, good to know!
THANK YOU, I could not for the the life of me come up with what it was called.

No problem. FYI: http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/bolt-tech/349188-valve-cover-studs.html

 

[constant_proj21]

No problem. FYI: http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/bolt-tech/349188-valve-cover-studs.html

Paul, you're the man . I have been looking for a better solution, and this will work perfect!! I don't know why I never thought of it!

Sorry for the OT post, just excited haha.

 

[debbie]

Looks very nice to me

 

[Detective Coating]

As far as price/looks that's exactly why I said this isn't going to be for everyone, you can't make everyone happy all the time, especially with something like this. I will try to work on the price but when a shop charges $100/hr for fab work it's kinda hard to work on the price any. As far as strength with this being aluminum and not casting it will be a lot stronger and virtually impossible to crack when tightening them down.

I like it, but it's kinda ugly.


If you anodize them, and make them insanely sleek looking, I'll buy one.

But they can't leak, or I'll come and cut you.

Anodizing won't be an option, only powdercoating. Ano isn't cheap to get into and no one locally does it. They won't leak if you seal it properly since it will have a cnc flange.

Justin, Kudos for taking the initiative in getting a few of these replicated. That is a pretty awesome VC. I'd consider jumping on board if I was unhappy in any way with my current valve cover.

Suggestions- Please have them done with a larger filler. Meziere offers some nice 2" cap and bung assemblies that would be perfect for the VC. Also, consider using an o-ring instead of a gasket. It would be easy to cut the groove for it and an o-ring very well may seal better too. It should also last longer and be cheaper to replace as well.


PS - Your Freelancer subscription has expired. It appears that you only wanted it for 30 days.

I do plan to run a larger fill hole than on the one pictured, I will have to check out their caps and see what I can find for a bung for them. I'm not too worried about it leaking when using a cnc'd flange and running a paper/cork gasket. Infamous Performance will be doing some testing of it for me once it's done so we can fix any problems before we make a large batch of them so I guess we will see then what needs changed/revised.

That's odd that its expired, for the last 6-7 months it has been pulled out automatically every month. PM me with how I get it back to that again and if you know pricing for supporting vendor instead of freelancer that'd be great too!

 

[95 TsiAWD]

I'd be interested as well once it's been tested properly over time and if the price can be adjusted for the DSM market.