Help Me I.D. These Mysterious Valve Covers!

Moderator · October 03, 2008, 02:18:14 PM

These shiny (recently powder-coated) valve covers will bolt onto any Buick 215 or Rover aluminum V8 cylinder head... but what engine did they originally come on?

I haven't physically verified whether they clear the Buick/Rover style rockers, yet, but it looks like they probably will.

I photographed an original Buick valve cover with them to show that they don't match. These covers are boxier - more like Olds covers - but they certainly don't look like any Olds covers I've seen before!

Could they be from an early sixties Pontiac Tempest? (I know they used 215 in the "Tempest Lemans", but I haven't seen one of those engines up close.) Help me out guys!

I like the look of these things - and they'd help me clean up my spark plug wire routing - but I'm thinking of selling them anyway because I'm flat broke. Any idea what they might be worth?

One more question - what's the extra hole for? (They came to me with a solid 1-3/8" rubber plug that fits the hole, so apparently they weren't being used with a breather in that spot.) There's a smaller hole for the PCV valve.

ex-tyke · October 03, 2008, 04:49:42 PM

Definately not from an Olds 215 - wrong bolt pattern. I'll take a guess that the small hole is for the PCV valve and the other cover has a screw in cap and the larger hole is for a grommet and push in breather.
Apart from that, they are a good looking set of period valve covers.

BlownMGB-V8 · October 04, 2008, 09:33:25 AM

I'd say 340 Buick. Not sure what the 300 used. They should work with the 215 just fine. Make your 215 look like a 340! Add 100 hp just by changing the valve covers!

Jim

ex-tyke · October 04, 2008, 10:27:41 AM

Jim's is right on the money. This pic is from an ebay offering of a 1967 Skylark GS340.
Skylark 340 GS.jpg

It also shows that blocked off valve cover hole - most curious!

Moderator · October 04, 2008, 12:29:02 PM

"Add 100 hp just by changing the valve covers!"

Awesome! That's a lot better deal than boring, stroking, balancing, blueprinting, flowing, polishing, porting...

hoffbug · October 05, 2008, 12:38:31 PM

I like those.. Im going to have to start looking for a set.

BlownMGB-V8 · October 05, 2008, 04:58:30 PM

Curtis will sell you his.

Jim

NixVegaGT · October 07, 2008, 01:20:24 PM

How common are these valve covers.

BlownMGB-V8 · October 07, 2008, 10:34:16 PM

Well, how common are 340's? Used in Skylarks and GS's in '66 and '67, I've seen production numbers on them of around 400,000. Factor in the number scrapped and the ones still being driven, and yeah there are a few valvecovers out there, but you won't see them that often.

Jim

NixVegaGT · October 08, 2008, 05:32:59 PM

I just bought some!!! COOL! Thanks guys. BOOM! 100 hp just like that. Here's a pic:

NixVegaGT · October 14, 2008, 08:44:34 PM

Curtis,

Did you ever decide to sell your shiney covers? It sounded like Tony might be interested.

hoffbug · October 14, 2008, 09:35:08 PM

I was till I looked at my 401k... Ive put the brakes on spending for a bit...

Bill Young · October 15, 2008, 01:43:12 PM

Tony, I'm sure Curtis will give you a heck of a deal on those. I remember when he got them during the auction at the British V8 meet last July, they won't be expensive! LOL

BlownMGB-V8 · October 15, 2008, 02:04:33 PM

Yes but they've gone up in value since then. At the auction they were just mystery valve covers euphemistically described as "215" which they obviously were not.

Now they are a known performance part bringing with them a very substantial 100 hp improvement! Curtis would be entirely justified in demanding a premium!

btw, VERY nice find Nick.

Jim