You know what "they" say about hindsight.
When I was first getting my 38 running and had to pull the head & replace the lifters/pushrods, I painted the valve cover, air filter canister and side cover semi flat black. I knew it wasn't close to the original color but it seemed like the thing to do at the time. When I replaced the side cover I used some black silicone gasket maker along with the Felpro gasket but it failed along the bottom so the side of the engine was always oily. Since I'm going to finish her up this winter (if you can actually say they are ever finished), I decided to repaint a bit closer to the Chevy gray. I got the valve cover and air box painted & today I tackled taking the side cover off. I don't know how the seal failed because I had a B!TCH of a time getting the cover off. Getting all of the old gasket & sealer off is also a real B!TCH. In case I ever have to pull it again (heaven forbid) I don't want to have to go through this hassle again. What tricks do you all have to get the side cover to seal without making it almost impossible to get off again? This is the early 216 with the full height side cover.
