SII 3800 Engine Polished Aluminum Valve Covers

BNaylor · #1 03-08-2009, 02:20 PM

I'm looking for ways to spruce up the engine compartment in my GTP. I ran across these Polished Aluminum Valve Covers from ZZP on EBay and at their web site. A little pricey but what the.....

Has anyone purchased and tried these out? Any issues? Let me know. TIA.

Link to EBay

Link to ZZP

UKtech · #2 03-08-2009, 03:20 PM

Ouch they do seem expensive....but hey its all for the cause.

I would suggest saving the money and use it to replace you water pump

Seriously tho i haven't really had any issues with aftermarket covers , the only issues i've had was with getting the gasket to sit correctly in the groove with some makes ....and i mean 10x worse than the OEM covers but with patience they usually work out ok.

BNaylor · #3 03-08-2009, 06:43 PM

Yeah I'm afraid that poor water pump will have to wait.

What gets me is ZZP didn't put them up for bid but just offers the Buy It Now price which is still cheaper than at the regular site. It figures. The gaskets are another $15.00. But what I'm wondering is whether these use the same gaskets as stock. The rubber ones you fit into the groove. There are no pics of the backside of the valve covers to tell.

The last custom valve covers I installed or even wasted money on were the old Mickey Thompson MT brand cast aluminum on a LM1 small bock Chevy 350 V8 I modded. That worked out fine.

I'll guess I'll send ZZP an email inquiry asking about the gaskets.

tblake · #4 03-08-2009, 11:21 PM

Good question Bob. Another question that might be worth clarifying is if these are only for the L67 or if they will also work on the L32

CrazyHorst · #5 03-09-2009, 06:33 AM

You should be able to get the non-polished aluminum covers off a L36 destined for the RWD F-car application....then spend some time on the buffing wheel. To be sure, the F-car GM OEM versions are ribbed just like the composite covers and not smooth like the linked version.

Advantages are that the gaskets should have longer life, the composite does a poor job of conducting away heat above the exh ports.

The original "ram's horn" exhaust manifolds played mayhem with the temps on rocker cover gaskets. The manifolds were changed for MY2000 IIRC for a far superior "header" style manifold although it is cast.

richtazz · #6 03-09-2009, 09:25 AM

Chrome (or in this case polished aluminum) don't get you home Bob, but a water pump will,

!

I don't believe the valve covers from a RWD L36 will work on an L67 so that's a moot point.

Let us know what you decide Bob, and get us some pics of the pretty shiny stuff installed if decide to go that way!

BNaylor · #7 03-09-2009, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by richtazz

I don't believe the valve covers from a RWD L36 will work on an L67 so that's a moot point.

Good point Rich. I've never heard of anyone with FWD SII 3800 VIN "1" or "K" using them. I think the oil filler hole on the odd bank cover is in the wrong spot meaning it would be under one of the wishbone engine mounts and bracket.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tblake

Good question Bob. Another question that might be worth clarifying is if these are only for the L67 or if they will also work on the L32

Tim, according to ZZP these valve covers will work on all SII and SIII SC and NA versions of our engines.

I'm just waiting on an answer as to whether the stock gaskets which will include aftermarket will work just for future reference. BTW - The ZZP price includes gaskets.

Thanks guys.

CrazyHorst · #8 03-09-2009, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by richtazz

I don't believe the valve covers from a RWD L36 will work on an L67 so that's a moot point.

Guess there is a special "RWD" cylinder head that I don't know about.

The oil fill location is a reasonable question although I don't know why the front and rear covers can't be swapped. There aren't "even bank" heads and "odd bank" heads.

The plug wire organizer may not fit just right though.

One tidbit of interesting info...the RWD F-car application started life with the same composite covers as FWD but the high-centered exhaust collector had the gaskets dripping out during hard desert testing. Hence the move to aluminum I mentioned above.

But...always keep this in mind when reading my posts...I am...~crazy~

BNaylor · #9 03-09-2009, 07:47 PM

Keep in mind we are really discussing the L67 engine and the GM cars like the F body Camaros and Firebirds did not have that option available. The big issue is do those valve covers have the 3 fuel injector cutouts and proper form factor designed in. The FWD L67 fuel injectors are in the cylinder heads. The valve cover gaskets are different too as a result.

FYI - The L67 valve covers should work on a L36 or the NA SIII. Even with the different valve cover gaskets and fuel injector cutout. Reason is below. See pic.

tblake · #10 03-10-2009, 12:56 AM

Very good to know Bob.

Are you going to spring for the valve covers?

BNaylor · #11 03-10-2009, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tblake

Are you going to spring for the valve covers?

Probably. As soon as I get some more feedback (intel) on them. It looks like there are other benefits other than aesthetics (looks). Best to carefully research a product first before jumping off the cliff.

grandprixgtx00 · #12 03-10-2009, 07:20 PM

i know a guy named Gabe that had polished aluminum valve covers on his turbo'd grand prix. pretty sure his were from ZZP since ZZP pretty much built his car for him. I'll send him a quick message on WICGP and see what he thought of them

BNaylor · #13 03-11-2009, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grandprixgtx00

i know a guy named Gabe that had polished aluminum valve covers on his turbo'd grand prix. pretty sure his were from ZZP since ZZP pretty much built his car for him. I'll send him a quick message on WICGP and see what he thought of them

Thanks. The thing I would like to know is how they seal. Any oil leaks or seepage, noted over a period of time, etc. The old valve covers may look ugly and be a potential fire hazard but as long as you have good gaskets and bolt grommets work fine.

bc_monzai · #14 03-12-2009, 03:48 AM

I bought a set of these ZZP valve covers last month off eBay. They accept stock gaskets and grommets. Oil filler cap is in the stock location. Even has the T-bosses/plug-organizer provisions there. Makes me think ZZP used a diecast process to make these valve covers. Barely noticeable was a little bit of flashing leftover on the underside I knocked off. Other than that, I like them lots!

Unfortunately, the cold weather has kept me from installing them...may be this weekend will be nice :-)

Here is a link with lots of pics I found when researching these things...hope this helps:

http://www.grandprixforums.net/f11/f...ished-646.html

Regards,
Addam

grandprixgtx00 · #15 04-03-2009, 11:57 PM

bob...finally got an answer from that guy over on WICGP.

he says the valve covers wernt too bad...however the gaskets that came with them are junk. the gaskets leaked as soon as he installed the valve covers. he said he bought different gaskets and never had a problem again...until the fuel rail connector started leaking and caused a fire...

makes me cringe everytime i see it

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