The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Cowl drain on Valve Cover.. What have ya'll done?

I know I could extend the tube behind the motor and onto the ground but, I know someone on here has done something truly ingenious to route this somewhere other than on the valve cover. Not a great design. Thanks

I will soon be buying 4-5 feet of 1/2" inner diameter rubber tubing and will run it down the starter side of the block. I hope someone shows us a better technique.

I thought it was supposed to be installed at an angle so that it doesn't drip in the valve cover. I'm probably mistaken.

With a 350 mine would drain right on top of the HEI distributor. I will be routing it under the dash straight over to the passenger kickpanel and down a few inches and out through the firewall just at the toeboard so it will run straight from the firewall/toeboard into the inner fender and drain on the tire.

And I would send pics but it is all in my head right now.

I know now why all the valve covers in the junkyard were real rusty in the rear. Jeff

Yes, and imagine what happens with a 54/55 valve cover that came with slits in the top.

54Tow...you are not wrong. It does have an angle formed into the hose for the purpose you describe.

The angled side goes towards the driver's side of the valve cover (dripping down that side of the block/clutch housing). This works OK if you have made no modifications (like a dual intake or a remote oil filter near the rear of the block/pan). I do not want any water dripping on my manifolds.

What were they thinking!!!!
DG

Denny,

Remember, it is just an old work truck. The fact that we love them cannot change what they are.

That goes for women and pets, too, Lonnie.

Yeah, yeah, but, what were they thinkin'!!!!
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

They were thinking, "make do". When we do that in our projects things go bad. I have found if you take a little more time in what you are doing and think about how it could be improved the job looks a bunch better. Yeah it's an old work truck but like the actor said in this latest movie about windshield wipers, " to us it's a Mona Lisa."

Call me sacrilegious, but I am going to fill in my cowl vent and plug the hole. I plan on adding AC, plus I do not want ANY way for water to get back into the cab and rot the floors again.

Where will the water go if you fill in the hole? Also I am sealing the cowl vent (top of the firewall) to keep water etc. out.

They were probably thinking it's better to drip on the engine than to drip on your foot.

But wouldn't you think that someone, after building that truck for nine years would have suggested running a hose down away from the engine??? A buddy of mine that I visit once a week or so is building a 1948 Willys with a complete running gear from a Ranger. I was looking it over the other day and just noticed that the cowl vent didn't have any drain. And the amazing thing was that it wasn't all rusted out. In 60 years you would have thought that they would have left the vent open a few times!

Ahh, but maybe I'm just doin' to much thinkin' about this. Fact is I think, I'll just poke that drain hose back in like it was meant to be and forget about it for the next 58 years. After all, I didn't find any traces of water on or in my 216 and I've been drivin’ her for more than two of those years!
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

I think my PO had an idea of diverting the drain but never finished the plumbing as you can see in this PICTURE

Just one of the many ingenious modifications I found.

Yeah Woody, your in luck, all you need to do is pickup a coupling and a lengthe of 1/2" galvanized water pipe and you're in business.
Denny G

Yeah Woody, your in luck, all you need to do is pickup a coupling and a length of 1/2" galvanized water pipe and you're in business. If you had a mind to, you could even use a tee and make up a run to the radiator then you would never have to top it off in the rainy season.
Denny G

Man Woody, that's ugly...

If your cowl vent seal failed the water would go into the cab. The purpose of the drain is to give the water a path to escape the vent cavity. My 38 just has a short piece of hose that directs the water down the back of the valve cover.

I was thinking of shoving a length of clear tubing up inside the drain hose and routing it down behind the engine, but never got around to it. I just concentrate on not taking the truck out when it's raining, or making sure the vent is closed if it is raining.

I was looking through the factory assembly manual for the AD's the other day and it actually gives the factory setting for angle and installation of this hose in degrees. One whole page dedicated to just this one operation.

Is that Weld Splatter? Did someone work that hard to F it up?

What exactly are you referring to?

Now Brad, ya think you can post a link to that information so we can all find it??? The only reference I find to the drain pipe is section 14 sheet 2.00 and that only covers sealing the tube.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Denny,

Here is the photo of the page and the section numbers for your reference. You will notice it calls for a 45 Deg =/-10 setting to miss the valve cover vents. Also Denny the W-1 issue if you look at the next two pictures I posted to my webshots show the indent on the bottom for clearance. This air cleaner did have about an 1/8" clearance for the W-1 on my 216.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/2377893620102454676eobulj

Ah yes, thanks Brad. Don't know how I missed that and I looked through the entire book twice page by page.
All most all of them that I see have the tube pointing straight down. 45° puts it well over the edge of the cover and drains it right down onto the manifolds, I'd think that would be just about as bad.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL