I'll throw my .02 worth in here, if you haven't already got this done. It would be a good idea to have a rubber mallet along. Sometimes valve covers can get pretty attached to the heads and it is necessary to convince them to let go. You don't want to pry up on the lips of them or you'll bend them up and have a fit trying to get them to seal once again. So just tap them close to the top a time or two and they should pop loose.

 

thats good thinking. i pry them and often worry about bending

 

ok i have a few questions?i got a Fel-Pro gaskets that i got with the truck.is that a good brand and it is a hard rubber like?the alternator bolt is in the way,just loosen it up,and the coil is in the way just move it over?when you say preserve the bolt position why?what kind of solvent cleaner should i use and what kind of scraper?i have some of the stuff but i want to make sure i have the right stuff.how many coats of paint do you use and it was high temp paint?what color did you use?thanks

 

fel-pro is just fine. by "preserve bolt position" i just meant that you should return each bolt to the same hole you removed it from, and remember which way the washers went (they are sort of triangular shaped). i scraped the old gasket off with a paint scraper, and shot brake cleaner onto a rag and wiped it all down. you can see one of the pictures that the paint i used is engine enamel, but you could use anything that says high heat. i used as many coats as it needed for full coverage which was 2 or 3, no primer. you dont have to paint them, i just did it b/c it was easy and looked better.

 

I have found that not all trucks use the washers as described above, mine used standard lock washers, but the trangular ones spread the pressure of the bolt out to a wider section of the valve cover flange. If you don't have them, I would recommend going down and getting a set at your local parts house, they really help on valve cover flange distortion. Brake cleaner works to clean up as well as mineral spirits or pain thinner, and a stated above put it on the rag then do your cleaning so it doesn't run down into the oil pan. Color is really more of a personal preferance, you may want to look at the rest of the motor and paint them the same color. Again you can go down to the local parts house and get high temp paint or engine enamel.Now when installing the covers I like to smear a very small amount of permatex on the flange of the valve cover which helps hold the gasket in place plus adds a little better seal. then smear another small layer on the bottom of the gaskets and insert your bolts, this should hold the gasket from sliding around. hen what ever you do, be careful tightening the bolts, don't over tighten them or your compress the gasket to mush around the bolt area and bend the flange and it will inevitably cause a leak.

 

i just looked and it does have the traingle washers on all but 1.that is the pass side one in the middle