Installing Fiero GT Valve Covers On A Chevrolet 2.8L

The reason for doing this kind of an install on you S-10 is simple. Looks! There is also another reason which isn't so obvious. Fiero valve covers are structurally much stronger then their tin counterparts and they use a reusable silicone based gasket. This means that if frequent adjustment or service of the rocker arms are done you will not have to worry about your cork gasket falling apart. Plus the silicone just seals better overall.

Sources for Fiero covers are not too hard to find. They are floating all over the internet, parts traders, junkyards and swap meets. What you are looking for is Fiero GT valve covers from a 2.8L Fiero. When you find used covers there should not be any damage because valve covers are not a wear item. However, expect them to be dirty, greasy, and scratched. Take your time to clean them right down the the old metal and give them a fresh coat of engine enamel (not paint, paint will peal off in an engine compartment) to keep them looking good.

Here is a picture of 1986 Fiero GT valve covers. Painted Chevrolet Blue. Notice the silicone gaskets and valve cover nuts.

 

Here you can see the PCV hose pass through drilled in the throttle linkage. This provides a very clean and custom look. Next in the picture is the cut metal tube. Where you see the hose clamp is where the tube was cut to. This also will clean up the look if the engine bay because the heater hose no longer comes to the front of the engine compartment.

Starting on installation. If you haven't noticed yet from the picture the holes in the valve covers are wrong. But this is a simple fix. Use the cover with the oil filler on the drivers side of the engine. This will put the breather hole in the proper location but will put the filler on the other side of the engine, this is a minor issue. Oil filling is still the same. The cover with the single small hole, which will now become your PCV hose, will be placed on the passenger side of the engine. On problem to overcome here is the PCV hole will now be on the front half of the valve cover and not in the back like it used to be. This is also a simple fix. You simply need to go buy a long piece of rubber PCV hose and plumb a new path for the PVC system. Buy about a foot or two of hose and one plastic or brass elbow. You have 2 choices here. You can just make the hose long enough and install it around the throttle bracket. Or you can go for a more custom look and drill a hole in the throttle bracket and pass the hose through it. If you do this remember you MUST use a grommet for the hole. Last issue is the metal heater hose on the passenger side of the engine. With the Fiero covers this tube will hit to top of the covers when bolted down. The simple and clean solution is to cut off the entire end portion of this tube so that only a small amount is left coming off the back of the intake and ending just over top of the covers. This will allow plenty of clearance for the hose to pass over the valve cover.

Some more notes on this installation. It is best to have studs on your engine for these covers. The studs will allow you to place down the gasket and then the valve cover without them sliding off the heads. If your engine already has studs you need to go out and buy new nuts with a larger built in washers to provide proper clamping pressure over the aluminum. You could also use a washer under your existing nuts if you wish. Because Fiero's are no longer made it may be hard to find original grommets and the oil filler cap. If you are lucky the set of covers you buy will have good grommets and a oil cap. But if you need new grommets you can buy ones from a Chevrolet 4.3L Vortec with plastic valve covers. As for the oil filler cap you may have a harder time. These were one of a kind caps. But there may be some left at a dealer. The Fiero store does stock these items if you are willing to wait a couple days for shipping, www.fierostore.com Fiero covers have less underside clearance than the stock covers, so if you have large roller rockers you may have to clearance them or the valve covers so they wont hit. Stock rockers will have no problems and neither should stamped roller rockers, only large extruded rockers may have a problem. Don't forget a dab of gasket silicone where the intake and the head meet underneath the valve cover gasket. If you forget this you will have a leak. Lastly tighten the covers so they are just snug, you do not have to crank the nuts down.

 
<Left: Fiero covers painted Chevrolet Blue. To finish the covers simply paint the whole piece your color of choice and then belt sand the fins in order to expose the bare aluminum and give a brushed finish. Then clear coat the entire piece again to protect them

>Right: Fiero covers painted low gloss black. These covers are also a great fix for leaky stamped steel covers that come stock on iron head 60 degree V6 motors

Now enjoy the new look of your engine!

Written by: Geoff Moore (betterthanyou)