valve cover clearance issue

KB single plug covers to older BAE fuel heads, my spring retainers wont allow the covers to seat down on the cover gasket surface. It looks as though I'm going to have to mill some material from the covers in the spring retainer area. Any suggestions on a nominal clearance from the retainer to the cover to prevent any possible contact.
Mahalo, Doug Cobeen
Just an oldtime racer in a pineapple field

 

My KB valve covers had clearance issues with valve springs and the rocker stands (AJII heads)....so I machined and ground on them until everything cleared....and even stacked 2 valve cover gaskets (bad idea).....ran these for several years until I figured out that Stage V valve covers have plenty of room....several vendors on this site carry the Stage V covers....that'll solve the problem...or you can grind away on your KB covers...

 

I posted this in the vavle covers gaskets thread, but it looks like it might cure 2 problems in your case...


"Another vote for steel shim,

Speaking of vavle covers, on a lot of heads there is a ridge on the heads the gasket sits on, is not quite high enough to keep the oil from running over the edge and dripping onto the headers. Do you any of you know of any people who have made spacers (and extended spark plug tubes) that bolt to the head to extend this ridge so that you can remove the covers from the top of the spacers so that the oil will not leak onto the headers between every round? "

RG

 

don't grind..put them in a mill and mill off what you need..Dave

 

I hear about this problem all the time. The late heads with the big springs and retainers simply don't clear using the early KB covers.

Eric at Stage 5 resolved this problem years ago when he built his new cover with clearance.

Here's the part Randy G. LOVES!

I have the Stage 5 covers IN STOCK in both single and dual plug configurations.

Call 626 815-8815 M-F PST.

Thanks!