Hello again fellas!!...
I have another couple of questions for you "81" owners out there (or other knowledgeable owners). I have the "Magnessium Valve Covers". What did the stock oil filer cap look like? Was it chrome with ears? Also, the hoses comming from the heater core...one goes into the water pump via a metal pipe. Did the other hose have a pipe?. or did the hose just go up and over the right side valve cover and onto the outlet above the thermastat? Come on folks..if you have any pictures...send them to hafferf@comcast.net. I tore her down (valve covers) and spent 10 hours stripping the bloody covers, and decided to change out the plugs and plug wires. I had to dissasemble waaayy to many things. any pictures of the passenger side engine compartment will help (Hell...I'll take any passenger side pictures offered also). I took some pictures (Heheheee) but not enough. My poor old arms and hands look as if I'd been back in th' war.
Thanks Gents
Ol' Sorrowfull Freddie

the oil cap is chrome with tabs to grip. the heater hoses: the one from water pump has a metal tube to go under the exhaust manifold, the on from intake manifold goes up over the valve cover, but under the air cleaner snorkel. pic not much help

Thank you gsimpson for your reply. If it comes over the valve cover...a picture isn't needed. Mine was hooked up correctly...however...down where the hoses conect to the heater core...is there a cover over that? You would think they would protect the core and hoses better than that. There is a housing over the core (on mine) but the connection (tubes and hose) is open facing the road. You could imagine running over a chunk of road debris and busting off a tube. Is yours open to the road??
Thanks
Fred

mine doesn't have a cover, either. it does look like the tubes where the hoses connect is in harms way, but maybe the engineers figures if you got into an area that rough, you would have more than the heater core to worry about. if you use the hoses that have moulded bends, they tuck up closer, a little more out of danger...

gsimpson;
One last post on this subject. When I took my valve covers off...the oil filler cap was on the passengers side. You had to remove the "breather to fender" air duct to add oil. Other members remarked that the "cap" should be on the drivers side (which would make sense). Which side is yours on?
Fred

my oil cap is on the passenger side. I switched sides with the covers when I changed cams. I think originall the oil filler cap was on the drivers side...but you cant see the crossed flags emblem, so I put the oil filler cap on the right side. when I add oil, I either have to remove the air cleaner, or snake a flex funnel down to the hole.