Valve Covers

[4uall]

Can valve covers be switched? Left on right & vice versa? The reason I ask i s that I have seen some with the oil opening at the back right like mine and some at the left front. Just curious to know.


1980 Fiat Spider F.I. Engine January 2012 by itzebtze, on Flickr

[maytag]

yes. at least as far as their mounting points and gasket surfaces go.

Many of the later spiders had various configurations of items attached to the valve-covers, and if you're using any of that stuff, you'll need to make sure you can mount it all properly.

I've just finished painting 3 valve-covers for my motor, because 1/2 of me is toying with NO oil fill-hole. I hate tghe way the oil cap looks. for me, I'm thinking I'd rather take the valve-cover off every time I do an oil-change than have that ugly fill-hole on top.
But I haven't decided, so I painted 3 of 'em!

[azruss]

the early spiders had them reversed. All the FI cars are like yours. This implies the FI has some sort of interference with the other way. not a lot of work to pull them off and switch them to see if it works.

[4uall]

thanks, getting some ideas to make her look pretty. Did yours have the Italian flag colours? Post some pics for me

[So Cal Mark]

the FI covers have a depression for the intake boot

[manoa matt]

Maytag, if you go with a block mounted distributor or distributorless system you can fill the oil through the abandoned dizzy hole in the cam tower. You could go with an ultra clean look and source the 1438 exhaust cam tower that does not even have the dizzy hole. Then you would have to remove the valve cover unless you had an EDIS ignition system, then you could fill it through the block mounted dizzy hole. Some oil stays in the cam towers so its not absolutly essential they be filled from there during a regular oil change, new engine startup is a differnt story.

It would be nice to open your hood and just like a modern car people would ask: "Where does the oil go"?

[narfire]

Of all the tools I have collected over the years and even more while putting my car together, the one I probably have used most is my benchtop grinder/ and wire wheel. (gift from my son many years ago)
Take the oil filler cap and let the wire wheel have a go on the cap then a coat of rattle-can clear coat and it smartens right up.
Chris