258 Clifford valve cover

Anyone used one of these to eliminate the inherent 258 oil leak ?

From what I understand, the cast aluminum will not distort like the OE steel covers.
Also the aluminum helps dissipate heat. Plus the fact that for the intermediates, only
Omix Ada makes aluminum replacements , which have a lousy track record at a couple
of suppliers. Any other suggestions are welcomed..........

 

I have an older one and it leaked until I RTV'd the gasket to it and then bolted it on. Now it doesn't leak.

High5

 

I just ordered a new plastic valve cover from them. It has not arrived yet.

FYI I wanted aluminum, but I have a stamped 80 Valve cover from another engine. No leaks, but would not fit the 83 engine. I also have an 85 aluminum cover also never leaked, but would not fit the 83.

I know the plastic is junk, but the 80 and 85 metal covers do not fit the 83 head. Makes no sense since I am told all are exactly the same. In reality the 80 will not fit on the 83 or 85, and the 85 will not fit on the 80 or 83. Totally different shapes and bolt patterns.

The 83 is completely straight down the drivers side edge and has 3 small holes. The 80 and 85 each have 3 curvescut into them on the drivers side. More bolts as well. The 80 is flat on the bottom, the 85 has a double channel under the aluminum casting and does not line up with anything on the 80 0r 83. My parts person thinks I'm crazy, but I have 3 cylinder heads and covers in the shop now and they simply do not swap.

If you want the older stamped cover email me you can have it free. I have no use for it. It did hold oil before I tore the motor apart.

 

They are great - and should be for the $$. The stamped replacement cover is total crap, not tall enough and is warped from the start. An original, none warped cover is good too if you do as above and use RVT and the gasket.

I'm looking at their intake/header combo on the 258 I'm starting on.

Is the Clifford pre-drilled?

 

I'm certain that the cover used on the 258 (and 232) from mid-70 through 1980 is the stamped steel cover with the 3 curves cut in. AFAIK this is the only factory cover that will fit those heads. I had thought there was no aftermarket cover that would fit that, other than a chrome-plated stamped steel cover. Maybe Clifford has one. JMO - with careful straightening and assembly you can keep the factory steel cover from leaking.

In 1981, the plastic cover was introduced. IIRC it has the same general outline but has different hold downs. I thought that all the 258 aftermarket aluminum valve covers were only made for this head. The head comes from the factory with some unthreaded holes which must be opened up and threaded for the Al aftermarket cover. Used to be, this was the best option for these heads - ditch the plastic cover.

There's also an early 4.0L head with low intake ports that went with the Renix FI on the 4.0L. You could confuse this head for a 258 head ... maybe that's what you have. Not sure which cover these came with - maybe aluminum.

If you're going to build a 258, I'd suggest you skip the 258 heads entirely and substitute the late 4.0L head - there are lots of write-ups about this upgrade on the net. This head has much superior port geometry to the 258 or early 4.0L heads. You can use the 258 manifold with the 4.0L head, but you'll need the 4.0L exhaust header.

 

just tossing my 0.2 worth around....
the plastic covers are okay, as long as they aren't warped, not overtightened, and sealed correctly. Mine on my 1981 J-10 258 was only resealed twice in 150,000 miles.....
the surfaces have to be absoloutely oil free, primed ( AMC actually had a primer for these covers) and then the sealant applied; the sealant had to be 100% cured before you could fire up the engine; sometimes this meant more than sitting overnight, depending on temperature and weather (a real pain for a repair shop, usually, we just pushed the Jeep out of the shop bays)
Most folks get impatient or don't thoroughly clean the 2 surfaces before they reseal; then start the engine too soon......
I might add that the PCV system must be in operating order, and that the engine must not have excessive blow-by; otherwise, the reseal job is a waste of time and effort.

 

Here's a picture and description of the Clifford aluminum cover. Seven bolts provided match the locations on the factory setup and the gasket looks identical. The breather holes are a little different and I believe the Clifford sits up about 1.5 inches higher than the factory cover.

http://www.cliffordperformance.net/...de=CP&Product_Code=47-4050&Category_Code=J258

 

Nice ... "All 1972-80 Jeep 199/232/258 cid." No question it's a replacement for the stamped steel cover, but the 199 was discontinued by 1972. Pretty sure the "1972" is wrong and the fitment actually goes back to 1964. Too expensive for me though, considering the obvious alternative.

 

I bought a cast AL valve cover for my 86 CJ7 from these folks:
http://www.yourcovers.com/vc_8656.shtml
The gasket flange is truly 1/2" thick! This cover uses the large bent washers on the studs on the drivers side of the engine to hold it down. It weighs a few pounds which surprised me. They were also about 40 miles from me so I picked it up and skipped the shipping charges.