What a *itch!!!!!

[MNHoosier]

I, as is a common term of a radio guy here, went "in" and came right back out!!

I thought I would replace my valve cover gaskets. I started on the drivers side and couldn't even get the the damn thing out of the engine area. Something was keeping me from completely removing it. Then I moved over to the other side and could sense it was going to be even tougher.

So, I came "out". And thought this is going to be a real pain in the ass. I did notice that the bolts were somewhat loose. So when I put it all back, I tightened them up pretty good. Maybe they were just loose to begin with and I will be good for a while.

I'll have to wait for my neighbor and do the trany gasket and then maybe have him help me with the VC's.

Anybody have any suggestions?

Thanks and have a great day.

[Jack]

Sometimes the edges of the intake manifold catch on the edges of the VC's ... 'specially if VC's are aluminum ... if that's it then mark the VC's in those areas & just carefully pry on the VC. After they're off, use a file to remove a small bit of the VC where you made marks. Also, old gaskets can hold them VERY tight ... if that's it then ... again, pry carefully at VC.
JACK

[Jack]

I'm sure someone else may disagree ... but when replacing VC gaskets ... I never use sealer on the head side of gasket ... only where gasket meets VC ... and then conservatively. A good gasket will seal. Possible too much sealer/gorilla snot could squeeze out and bind VC to head.
JACK

[Scott81]

Originally posted by Jack
I'm sure someone else may disagree ... but when replacing VC gaskets ... I never use sealer on the head side of gasket ... only where gasket meets VC ... and then conservatively. A good gasket will seal. Possible too much sealer/gorilla snot could squeeze out and bind VC to head.
JACK

I agree, use enough sealer (Edelbrock Gasgasinch) to hold the gasket in place, let it set then put them on. You might want to leave the VC on a nice flat surface while the sealer sets up. On my stock heads the lip was actually rounded and rough which didn't really promote a good seal. My new Sportsman II heads have a nice flat area to seal, much better IMO.

[Ken]

I'm using Earl's "Pressure Master" valve cover gaskets on my new engine.

Earl's Pressure Master Engine Seals are designed for Chevy 265-400 engines. Not only do they provide excellent performance, they're reusable and require no adhesive for installation.

There is also Milodon as a choice for valve cover gaskets:

Milodon copper head gaskets are an excellent choice. They are .040 in. thick and are made with premium dead soft copper for a perfect seal.

_ken

[DDLS3]

MNHoosier,

I changed the VC gaskets on my 81 last summer. The drivers side cover was indeed a challange. What I found holding up the works was the lip on the accelerator cable bracket. The bolt that holds the bracket is on the back side of the head toward the firewall. You can get at it, ain't easy, loosen it enough to lay the bracket towards the firewall and the vc will lift off and out just like the other side.

[vettl83]

I've had good luck with the $36.00 Fel-Pro gaskets on my 84, the only drawback was I had to use longer bolts due to the thickness of the gaskets. They don't don't require sealer either. Now my 91 ZR-1 thats another story. Good luck

[page62]

$36.00 Fel-Pro gaskets? My Fel-Pro rubber gaskets were only ten bucks at O'Reilly's. Oh well...

Anyhow, your problem on the driver's side was definitely the throttle cable/cruise control support bracket. I had to remove all 3 bolts and push it out of the way to do the job. It's a bit of a pain, but it can be done by darn near anyone...including me!

[MNHoosier]

What it looked like to me was a combination of a couple things. On the bottom side of the VC is a brass-ish looking tube or pipe that runs around the front of the engine. That prevented the VC from sliding down or towards you enough so that the lip of the VC on the top side could get out and away from what was holding it in place.

The cable I think that was mentioned above I was just able to move temporarily out of the way. I didn't notice any 3 bolt bracket. I was able to spearate the VC from the block enough even to get my fingers under it. However, not knowing that much about egines and what you can/can't do. I am always reluctant to force anything.

Oh, BTW, it is an '82.

Thanks for all your suggestions.