Valve Covers and multiple coils

Route666

Active Member
Aug 16, 2003
1,652
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39
Brisbane, Australia
I didn't want to butt into the other valve cover thread going on, so here we are.

Say you were going to use a distributorless ignition system with a coil per cylinder run in a wasted spark setup, would it be ok to screw the coils onto the valve covers? Would it be ok / would there be enough clearance under say the tall ford racing covers for some short self-tapping metal screws to not interfere with the rockers?

Ok if you're using that sort of ignition, you're probably using some sort of good valvetrain gear too, so would you be able to clear roller rockers and a girdle? (just the extreme case, so all others would be no worries)

All that would be needed is about 1/4", if that, and there'd be a heap of loctite on the screws too.

Would there be problems with leaks? Would the screws fall out from vibration?

I'd be less worried about these screws screwed in from the outside than the ones inside holding the baffle plates on, that could fall into the engine, and that cannot be checked easily, nor often.
 
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I'm runing fabricated covers over stud girdles and there is plenty of room between them. Also the rockers don't go much higher than the bottom of the girdle so they woouldn't be a problem either. I wouldn't use sheet metal screws. If you were going to this level, tap a bar of aluminum and weld in to the top of the valve covers. Then you can use bolts and not worry about leaks and metal shavings in the motor.
Also, I'm hoping that with a girdle, I won't need to run a baffle. The oil fill and PCV valves are located right above the girdle so I'm thinking it should act as a decent baffle itself. I haven't run the motor enough to see if my theory holds up yet.
 
True enough. You know just after I posted I did some searching for covers and found some fabricated ones and thought, I could draw my own peices and cut them (work at a laser cutting place) out of 6mm aluminium or so, and tap the bolts into the top. I could also make it high enough to clear, and also weld in my own baffles, so wouldn't have to worry about that falling off and into the mix. I won't get the same baffle effect from the girdle as I want to use rail-mounted rockers. (without a girdle)
 
you could drill holes for the hardware and have aluminum bolts welded in with the threaded part sticking above the valve cover (think like head studs).

no rattle issues or parts falling into your valve train, and you could machine/grind off the head of the bolt if you didn't have the required clearance.
 
Bullitt said:
you could drill holes for the hardware and have aluminum bolts welded in with the threaded part sticking above the valve cover (think like head studs).

no rattle issues or parts falling into your valve train, and you could machine/grind off the head of the bolt if you didn't have the required clearance.

Yeh that's another good idea, I don't know why I didn't think of welding them in. I guess I just didn't think about this whole idea too hard lol.

Is there any real problem with threadings into aluminium? (without helicoils) I don't think I'll be taking these on and off that often, hopefully only put them on once, and never off.