427 FE Style Valve Covers on SBF

[Joe's Garage]

New FE Valve Covers on 351W

Looks good Brent, nice job on those FE style valve covers for the 427w

[blykins]

Well, before you pee your pants from excitement thinking that you got me, those are valve covers made to fit a Windsor......they are not FE valve covers.

They are the same size as a Windsor head and everyone knows it's still a small block. There's no trying to fool anyone into thinking it's an FE....which seems to be the point in the valve cover adapters. Otherwise there are plenty of pentroof valve covers for small block Fords. Ford Racing makes them, Blue Thunder makes them, etc.

Using the FE valve cover adapters so that you can put FE valve covers on a SBF would be exactly the same as my point about trying to fit 289 FIA valve covers on an FE, so that people will "think" that you have a 289 car. No logic there.

[blykins]

Listen, I agree totally with you that pentroof valve covers are more appealing than the standard SBF valve covers. I use them quite a bit myself as they give more room for "race stuff" underneath. They even make them for Cleveland heads:



However, the adapters are made for the sole purpose of trying to make an engine look like something it's not....to fool people who look at the engine into thinking there's an FE under the hood. That's what I have a problem with. If you want the width, height, and appearance of an FE to make your replica look more correct, then my point was to just put a stinkin FE under the hood to begin with and you won't have to go through all the cloak and dagger junk.

[blykins]

Here's the Blue Thunder pentroofs on a Windsor head. Pentroof style, but they are made to fit a Windsor and are not intended to look like an FE.

[Joe's Garage]

I almost did pee my pants, great cost effective solution. Then upon closer scrutiny I realized Ford Racing didn't quite get the shape and size right, oh well
I'm just trying to make it "my own" as many have recommended, the mantra in these here parts ...

Go forth and enjoy your cobra as you have made it, we're all one big happy family!

... yeah right, my ass

[blykins]

Well, Ford Racing couldn't get the look and shape right because it's a totally different engine.

Joe, if you're simply looking for a pentroof valve cover because you just like the look of the FE covers, then I owe you an apology.

However, the guys that typically use these are trying to make their engines into something they're not....to offer up a false appearance.

Even the descriptions where the adapters are sold say things like:

"Instant brawny shoulders..."

"Have the fun of a big block without the fuss..."

An FE valve cover is huge compared to a SBF valve cover. It's just very easy to see that the engine obviously isn't an FE.

[Joe's Garage]

We all look at these cars differently, as far as I'm concerned the whole car is a forgery. From the glass body, to the square tube frame, to the crate motor, to the 5-speed tranny, to the rear end, to the brakes, to the suspension. Not a damn thing authentic about it. But if you are going to go the forgery route, to avoid engine tweaks on grounds of some perceived rule that authenticity must be followed then that just doesn't make any sense, that line was crossed from the git-go. When it comes to kit car replicas anything goes IMO, only the owner's integrity is in the balance. I'm not trying to fool anyone, it's a kit car replica and that's how I refer to it. If I do get the FE covers and someone asks "is that an FE?" I'll say no, just the best part of an FE - the valve covers I swapped out everything below for something I liked better, an aluminum 427w