Utmost authority on ’68 Vette motors?

[Dave Johnson]

A finned aluminum valve cover on 327 motors. Is this true? BTW, my e-mail is now noc_eng@hotmail.com

[Jim T.]

Re: Utmost authority on ’68 Vette motors?

The 327/300 had painted Chevy orange valve covers.
The 327/350 came with chrome plated valve covers of the same design.
No aluminum valve covers on the 68 Corvette 327's.

[Dave Johnson]

Re: Utmost authority on ’68 Vette motors?

I’ve heard from a person who claims to have been the original owner of a ’68 with said valve covers, which may suggest that a few vary late ‘68s escaped the factory with ’69 L46 valve covers. Now, I don’t believe this (I think this guy is getting a bit senile and forgot what year car he owned.), but I figured I’d check around.

[Joe L.]

Re: Utmost authority on ’68 Vette motors?

Dave-----

I seriously doubt that any 68s were built with the 69+ style aluminum valve covers. Also, they could not have been built with the 59-67 style aluminum valve covers.

For 1968, the oil filler was still a tube in the manifold, the last year that this was used. So, if the 69 style covers had been used the engine would have had TWO oil fillers---the one in the valve cover and the one in the intake manifold. I really don't think that GM would have built an engine this way. If this 68 engine had a "factory-looking" soft plug installed in the manifold filler tube opening, I MIGHT believe that the 69 valve covers were a possibility. However, I'll bet that it has the oil filler tube.

Also, if you're interested, the 59-67 style aluminum valve covers could not have been used. These covers had no provisions for positive crankcase ventillation (PCV) which all 68 engines require. The 1968 small block valve covers were unique to the 1968 model year for the above reasons. However, they were not unique to 1968 Corvettes. The base engine painted, stamped steel valve covers were used on many other 1968 Chevrolet small blocks installed in other passenger cars and trucks. The chrome, stamped steel valve covers used on the 1968 Corvette L-79 were also used on the 1968 Camaro Z-28 302 cid engine.

Chrome valve covers on a Corvette small block were a rarely used item. Only the 1955 Corvette with 265 V-8 and the 1968 Corvette with L-79 ever received them from the factory during the entire 49 year history of the Corvette.