i bought aftermarket valve covers a while ago. they gave me the high ones and said i cant return them. so the passenger side is rubbing the balck box i believe its the nlower. its on the fore wall. i need about a half inch. can i cut in to it? ir the fan does not sound good anyway, ids it the same one? then i might be able to get a slightly smaller aftermarket unit?n it used to be air conditioned but they took it out i dont know if that has any influence?

 

That box is your air conditioner and also contains the blower. I wouldn't hack into it to make the valve covers fit. My personal recommendation is if you're not going to run AC then get a new heater box from a non-AC truck, pull out the AC box and replace it, then build a plate to cover the hole in the firewall. This will free up a LOT of room getting that whole box out from under the hood.

 

what would i need to convert back to a/c? just the compressor? also is that blower the one that powers the fan in my vents? it sounds beat to me.

 

Check out the picture below. I made tall Ford Racing valve covers fit with very little cutting. The air box is essentially empty, as long as you don't cut too deeply.

My heater still works well and I've had no other trouble. Look at the PCV valve on the left rear cover...



If you want more information and closer pictures let me know.

Hope this helps.

 

these are the valve covers i have. how did you clear that air box on the left, just cut a inch or so of it? with a sawzall? is it open still or did you seal it?

 

I would like to see a close up pic of the valve cover on the drivers side where it meets the booster please

 

that side whre it meets the booster was tight. i would not go at first but it went. and i figure the engine torqued away from it so i thought it would work. i ran it for a while now with one cover. its the other side i did not handle yet. making the best of it. i spent over a hundred on em a dammit i am using them.

 

Michelle bought me a set back in 2004. I have yet to put them on because of some swapping I have to do.
I help off installing them because of the little room for them, so now I am putting the F350 booster on so that will give me a lot more room plus increase my stopping power.

 

I'll go home this afternoon and take close-ups of both covers. I'll post them here as soon as I can.

While you wait, here's a link to a larger picture of my engine: >>> http://www.sacinvest.net/ford/completed_engine.jpg

Hope this helps.

 

Take a look...

http://www.sacinvest.net/ford/Right_clearance.jpg

Dennis, clearance is about 5/8".

 

Ok....here's how I did it.

1) Pull your old valve covers. Thoroughly clean the area...bla-bla-bla.

2) Pull the bolt that retains the transmission dip stick. Otherwise - A) The new valve cover won't fit over the far #4 rocker - and B) You'll scratch the crap out of your valve cover while you try to install it, like I did.

3) Wrap a 24 tooth hacksaw blade in electrical tape. As you can see in the picture, remove the insulation from the air box. Your cuts will be approximately as follows:

(Assume you're facing the air box from the driver's side) - Left vertical cut: 1 3/4" -- Right vertical cut: 2 1/4". This should make a straight line across the top of the two points. As you're cutting the two vertical cuts, the blade should be cutting at an approximate 45 degree angle throught the bottom of the air box to a depth of approximately 1 3/4". Once these cuts are made, drill a hole into the face of the air box inside your cuts but below the top of the cuts so that you can cut a horizontal line and connect the top of the two vertical cuts.

I used a razor knife to score between the lower two cuts (deeply) and then simply broke the plastic along the score line. Viola! The PCV valve will fit.

http://www.sacinvest.net/ford/Cut_out.jpg

But we're not done yet...

The valve cover will hit the steel portion of the air box. So, get a circular grinding bit that will fit into a drill (a stone bit) and start grinding away the steel (Picture below)

http://www.sacinvest.net/ford/Ground_out_1.jpg

http://www.sacinvest.net/ford/Ground_out_2.jpg

You will grind approximately 1/2" into the steel. Now the cover will fit.

I used gasket quality silicone to make the gasket. A regular rubber gasket won't work - it's too tall. Once all of this is done, remember to bolt the transmission dip stick back into place.

As for sealing the hole...the duct tape in my pictures is temporary. I've decided to use some fairly heavy plastic I have (1/8" thick or so) and fab a cover, and then screw and silicone it in place...when it stops raining that is.

Best thing you can do is take it slow and it should work out fine.

Hope this helps.