The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 235/216 valve covers

I'll soon be doing the swap from a 216 to a 235 and well, I really like faking people out, so I was wondering, is there a way to fit the valve cover from a 216 to the 235?

Oh yeah 1 more thing,,,,,ALOHA!!!!

Yes - you can purchase a stud kit that has two studs going up from the rocker arms that will allow use of the 216 valve cover on the 235. I have even seen 261's with 216 valve covers.

XLNT! Is it a specialty kit or just studs from a hardware store, and I would love a 261, can't seem to find 1 here in Southern California, although I did just miss a factory short block still in the crate for $1000!!!! Day late, $1000 dollars short!! Mahalo Nui Loa!!

Aloha Kimo,

Check the vendors for a (Wayne Valve Cover) Stud Kit. This is how it is usually listed (about $12.00). I could not find it listed by American Classic Truck Parts but Chevy Duty has it Jim Cart's and Patrick's also have it). It works on 1954-1962 235/261 engines (not needed for pre-54 235 truck engines).

Tim

There should be 261's out there. Check school busses and larger trucks of the 60's. Sometimes I see a whole truck for the price of the running 261 in it.

If you have the 216 laying around, you can usually salvage the studs from it. I couldn't get one of the studs out of mine, so I bought the kit from Bowtie Bits. Only thing I didn't like about the kit was the seals were rubber, and didn't last. My friend machined some from urethane for his 261, I couldn't wait. When my seals gave up I used fender washers, and they leak less than the air vents in the cover.

Mahalo (thank you in Hawaiian)for all the replies. Hey if any of my brudda's out here in california hear of a 261 could you hook me up please? then I'll have a 235 in running condition to sell! I'm in LA county. AlooooHA

I did the valve cover swap today.

I got the "new" valve cover and studs from an old 235 babbitt pounder at the salvage yard. But when I put it on my '59 235, it didn't seal well at all. I had oil dripping down the right side of the block :mad:

So, this leads me to believe that you need to use the old 216/235 style gasket instead of the one for the later 4-screw valve cover? Or, do you just use a case of RTV silicone and seal that sucker up? :p

Thanks,
Steve

Covers have the same footprint, and the same gasket is used for both applications. Did you trim off the tabs that stick out of the sides? Also, be sure the edges of the cover are straight.

You don't want to use rtv on this, if you have solid lifters you need to adjust them. A gasket sealer like Permatex #2 or yellow weatherstrip adhesive works good in this case. I am running with a cork gasket and no sealer, with a straight cover properly tightened an no leaks.