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Renewing 56 Dodge D500 Valve Covers
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56D500boy
Posted 2017-05-23 12:13 PM (#540719)
Subject: Renewing 56 Dodge D500 Valve Covers



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I've been wanting to do this since back in September when I got my 56 D500. I finally had some good weather that I could work outside with smelly paint stripper, solvents and paint. So I got at it yesterday.

Removing the valve cover finally allowed me to see whether there was any build up of sludge in the head. There was none. Yippee!!

Renewing the valve covers involved:

1. Stripping the paint off with spray aircraft (sticky) paint stripper, a scraper and steel wool. Wear thick rubber gloves!! (Along the way, I could see at least four layers of paint, the most recent red, a silver, a black and the original red)

2. Using a drill chucked with an abrasive plastic "wire" wheel to remove tough bits.

3. Wet sanding with 200 and 400 grit wet/dry sand paper with solvent as the wetting agent.

4. Getting all the residual paint, cork gasket and hardened oil bit out of every nook and cranny with whatever it takes.

5. Repeating steps 2, 3 and 4 until there is nothing left but clean metal

6. Wiping everything with solvent and drying.

7. Spraying the covers. For the valve cover I used VHT red caliper paint (exact match, by chance, to the official Mopar red paint). For the wire covers, I used Tremclad (Rustoleum in US) semi-gloss black.

Today will involve re-installing that valve cover with a new cork gasket, new hardware (stainless), new Autolite R45S spark plugs (no gasket) and new top of tube rubber gaskets.

Then I will repeat the renewal process on the left valve cover and the power brake vacuum can.



Edited by 56D500boy 2017-05-23 2:51 PM




(315HemiValveCoverRenewal_1.jpg)



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(315HemiValveCoverRenewal_7.jpg)



(315HemiValveCoverRenewal_8.jpg)



(315HemiValveCoverRenewal_9.jpg)



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Attachments 315HemiValveCoverRenewal_1.jpg (192KB - 394 downloads)
Attachments 315HemiValveCoverRenewal_2.jpg (188KB - 362 downloads)
Attachments 315HemiValveCoverRenewal_3.jpg (203KB - 374 downloads)
Attachments 315HemiValveCoverRenewal_4.jpg (205KB - 382 downloads)
Attachments 315HemiValveCoverRenewal_5.jpg (161KB - 362 downloads)
Attachments 315HemiValveCoverRenewal_6.jpg (199KB - 367 downloads)
Attachments 315HemiValveCoverRenewal_7.jpg (231KB - 352 downloads)
Attachments 315HemiValveCoverRenewal_8.jpg (179KB - 357 downloads)
Attachments 315HemiValveCoverRenewal_9.jpg (214KB - 362 downloads)
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DepsilonD
Posted 2017-05-23 3:25 PM (#540743 - in reply to #540719)
Subject: Re: Renewing 56 Dodge D500 Valve Covers



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Nice work!
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56D500boy
Posted 2017-05-23 3:55 PM (#540747 - in reply to #540743)
Subject: Re: Renewing 56 Dodge D500 Valve Covers



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Thanks, Dave. I'll get a photo of them back on the car this afternoon.

Had to get some red RTV to tack the new cork gasket in place in the valve cover. Got that this AM but no new hardware. The nuts are 5/16"-24 and they only had -18 in stainless (or plain). The bolts are 5/16"-18 but 1/2" long. They only had 1" (in SS and plain) and I didn't feel like cutting them down. I will look at a better store on another day.

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56D500boy
Posted 2018-07-09 7:57 PM (#566376 - in reply to #540747)
Subject: Re: Renewing 56 Dodge D500 Valve Covers



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56D500boy - 2017-05-23 3:55 PM
Thanks, Dave. I'll get a photo of them back on the car this afternoon.
:)


Well, more than a year later, I finally post a photo of the valve covers - reinstalled. LOL.

The photo is from last July (2017) (and I have posted it in the forum, just not in this thread).

UPDATE: What I remember was there was a "wrong way" and a "better way" with the gasket, involving flipping the gasket over up/down left/right until the holes lined up better. When I finally figured out the best orientation, I ran a small bead of RTV on to the interior lip/flange of the valve cover. Then I pushed the new cork gasket into the RTV and flipped the cover over and put it on the head, over the studs.) I had previously cleaned the heads of any residual gasket material from the old gaskets and then wiped them clean). Then, as I tightened down the nuts, I pushed the gasket back under the valve cover wherever it was trying to push out (in a few areas). I snugged the nuts down but not a gasket-killing amount. One year later and not a drop of oil leakage and no escaping gasket to be seen.


Edited by 56D500boy 2018-07-09 10:52 PM




(DaveFsD500EngineWithFaked315HemiHeadVinylSticker.jpg)



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Attachments DaveFsD500EngineWithFaked315HemiHeadVinylSticker.jpg (174KB - 304 downloads)
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56D500boy
Posted 2019-05-02 1:16 PM (#581680 - in reply to #566376)
Subject: Re: Renewing 56 Dodge D500 Valve Covers



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56D500boy - 2018-07-09 4:57 PM

UPDATE: What I remember was there was a "wrong way" and a "better way" with the gasket, involving flipping the gasket over up/down left/right until the holes lined up better. When I finally figured out the best orientation, I ran a small bead of RTV on to the interior lip/flange of the valve cover. Then I pushed the new cork gasket into the RTV and flipped the cover over and put it on the head, over the studs.) I had previously cleaned the heads of any residual gasket material from the old gaskets and then wiped them clean). Then, as I tightened down the nuts, I pushed the gasket back under the valve cover wherever it was trying to push out (in a few areas). I snugged the nuts down but not a gasket-killing amount. One year later and not a drop of oil leakage and no escaping gasket to be seen.



UPDATE on the Update:

When I was out changing the front passenger side shock the other day, I could see that the passenger side valve cover gasket was leaking oil that was dripping down onto the engine and the exhaust manifold. NOT cool. I will try just tightening the nuts and bolts holding the valve cover to the head but I may have to involve some more RTV (or ????) if that doesn't work. I don't want an oil-leaking, stinky engine.




Edited by 56D500boy 2019-05-02 1:17 PM
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56D500boy
Posted 2019-05-02 11:26 PM (#581704 - in reply to #581680)
Subject: Re: Renewing 56 Dodge D500 Valve Covers



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Well this is embarassing.

I went out to the Dodge this afternoon, armed with a 3/8" drive rachet, a 1/2" socket and a 6" extension and found that *ALL* 12 of my valve cover nuts/bolts (3 nuts and 3 bolts per side) were loose. Not sure why. I thought that I had used lock washers and had snugged everything down. *BUT* it is probably 2 years since I stripped and repainted the valve covers so it probably isn't surprising that they were loose. I know that I didn't use star washers but now I think that I want to.

I wiped the lower edge of the very leaky passenger side valve cover after I tightened things down and now will have to wait to see whether tightening was enough to stop the leak(s).



Edited by 56D500boy 2019-05-02 11:27 PM
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