ascMcLaren Enthusiasts

negusm · Posted: Tue Dec 12, 2006 4:40 pm Post subject:

Here are the finned valve covers for 83-85 Mustangs/Capris:

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n20capri · Joined: 30 Aug 2004 Posts: 715 Location: Bensalem PA

RARE-ASC · Joined: 18 Dec 2004 Posts: 1198 Location: Canton Ga

negusm · Posted: Tue Dec 12, 2006 6:07 pm Post subject: Re: 86 again

bigzeke42 · Joined: 28 Aug 2004 Posts: 311 Location: De Soto, KS

svo413 · Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 6:44 am Post subject: 86

Yes, those are the ones I was referring to. I thought I recall a rib or two on the sides. There were no fins on the top of the 86s as in the older styles. Often the bare aluminum ones from 86 show up polished due to some personal efforts of polishing the plain originals.

I believe the roller rockers were taller and hit on the inside of the older covers. The baffles could be removed and maybe work.

Sorry for any confusion on the fins.
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RARE-ASC · Joined: 18 Dec 2004 Posts: 1198 Location: Canton Ga

I also believe the heads on an 86 efi 5.0's are diffrent and restictive and are the least fav of the 5.0 crowd mayby the valve covers are diffrent in some way because of this Question

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svo413 · Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 7:42 am Post subject: Heads

The 86 heads were to be the better design of the day but later I think the 89 truck heads ended up being better (for the stock design). The taller roller rockers caused some valve cover issues. The 86 heads were the best to date in 86. I think there is still some discussion about the 86 vs the 89 heads as to which one is best but the 86 are not bad.

The 86 cast aluminum valve covers had the fill on the right side where the 85 steel covers had the fill on the left side.
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Kevin Gold card MCA Judge for Fox Body
85 ASC Vert #612205
88 ASC Vert #542 20,550 miles
84 SVO 24,000 miles, 84 GT Turbo Vert.
03 Mach I, 89 LX Vert, 74 Mustang II
14 CA Special, 69 Mustang coupe, 07 GT500
67 T-bird, 15 F150 Tuscany, 16 F250

ASCMCLRN · Joined: 26 Sep 2004 Posts: 947

mandra · Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 1:43 am Post subject:

I think we have this valve cover thing sorted but to be sure...

On my 85 Vert AOD CFI car it had the black stamped valve covers
On my 85 Vert 5 Speed it has the finned valve covers
On my 85 5 Speed Coupe it has the finned valve covers

I think by the way that all the 86's had the same valve covers as pictured in this thread.

The 85 heads by the way are far better than the 86's. They are nearly as good as the 87 and up E7's. The reason Ford used those horrible swirl design heads on the 86's I still don't understand. I did hear that Ford didn't swap back to the E5's because they lost the castings in 86.

ASCMCLRN · Joined: 26 Sep 2004 Posts: 947

MHISSTC · Joined: 29 Oct 2004 Posts: 44 Location: Goodland, KS

red390gt · Joined: 27 Aug 2006 Posts: 146 Location: North East

MHISSTC, So you are saying your car has the original Power by Ford raised aluminum valve covers? Is is possible a previous owner maybe put those vavle covers on it because they thought they looked better than the stamp steel ones?

MHISSTC · Joined: 29 Oct 2004 Posts: 44 Location: Goodland, KS

YUP. The rocker covers are original to the car. If you are unfamiliar with this car, it's an EARLY '85 Capri GS 5.0L with CFI/AOD and 50,xxx miles on it. Again, the emphasis is on EARLY, as in scheduled build date of 10/84. That's probably the key in this case. It has several features that were carried over from the '84 model year like the dual tip single exhaust and the seat upholstry to name a few. Now it appears the rocker covers are another item I didn't previously know about that was carried over from the '84s.

I tracked the ownership of this car back through the two prior owners in Colorado. The one before me was a clueless young man who owned it only a few years and sold it to me on eBay. I think the back glass got broken at which time the original hatch was replaced with a Mustang LX hatch and it was painted an el-cheapo dark blue at MAACO. He also put on a set of Mustang Pony rims. The owner prior to that was a little old lady who owned it since '86. She's the one who kept it original and unmolested in her garage for many years. She bought it from a used car dealer in Denver. I couldn't track it back any further than when she bought it in '86, but I know it originally came from Wyoming since the prior title had a Wyoming title number. It also originally sold with the TRX wheels, but the old lady verified she acquired it with the 14" steel wheels and hub caps that the clueless young man also passed along to me when I bought the car.

This car is built strickly by the book. It seems there are more GS 5.0 cars built exactly like an RS with a GS on the hatch, than there are GS cars built according to the book.

I've never seen an '85 with stamped steel rocker covers. I'd like to see some pics if anyone has any.

In reference to the '86 rocker covers, I thought they got those smoother topped ones with the ridges on the side because the earlier finned "POWERED BY FORD" ones interfered somewhere with something on the F.I. intake.

Interesting stuff.
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