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Which Valve Covers for 427

Started by brandosaac, February 28, 2023, 09:00:42 PM

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brandosaac

which valve covers would have come on the orignal 427 Cobras ?
finned alum "Cobra Le Mans" (in 1 line)
finned alum "Cobra Le Mans (with Le Mans underneath cobra)
finned alum with just "Cobra"
chrome pentroof?
or other ?

thank you , I am learning

Bob Gaines

Quote from: brandosaac on February 28, 2023, 09:00:42 PM
which valve covers would have come on the orignal 427 Cobras ?
finned alum "Cobra Le Mans" (in 1 line)
finned alum "Cobra Le Mans (with Le Mans underneath cobra)
finned alum with just "Cobra"
chrome pentroof?
or other ?

thank you , I am learning
Cobra Le Mans was the 1967 Shelby valve cover . The Cobra with Lemans underneath was the 1968 Shelby valve cover and also a very popular catalogue accessory valve cover.  The 427 engines came from Ford with the chrome pentroof valve covers. The fined valve cover with Cobra 427 was one that ended up on some that I have seen but I don't know if it was only a accessory valve cover or if some came from Ford that way.  The repro Cobra 427 valve covers and the 67 Shelby covers are very close to what the genuine ones look like. Externally the way you can typically tell if genuine or not is that the repro has the bow tie hole on both covers and the genuine has a perfect circle hole for the PCV side. The 68 valve covers are even harder to tell if repro or genuine. Genuine with have the Shelby trademark cast on the inside. The repros do not. 
Bob Gaines,Shelby Enthusiast, Shelby Collector , Shelby Concours judge SAAC,MCA,Mid America Shelby

Dan Case

Depends on car version. I would expect, not counting any unusually factory specials or custom orders:
CSX30xx race and S/C = chromium plated 427 engine covers without any ports in them
CSX3101-CSX3200 group = same
CSX3201-CSX3300 with a 428 PI engine, sand cast aluminum "COBRA 427".
CSX3301-CSX3360 = back to chromium plated covers as above

As an accessory of limited availability, Shelby American also had a very rare sand cast COBRA POWERED BY FORD model of cover.

Not every car was the same as specifications changed during each contract group. Answers can often be simple if the chassis number range is specified.
Dan Case
1964 Cobra owner since 1983, Cobra crazy since I saw my first one in the mid 1960s in Huntsville, AL.