Start Oil Filler Tube Refit.

Getting Started.

I decided that it would be best to remove the valve cover to do this job. Just in case I had to drill any holes in the valve cover, I wouldn’t have to worry about getting metal chips in the engine.
Also it is a lot easier to work on it out of the van.

I removed the air cleaner and its mount and stowed them under my welding table out of the way.
Next, I removed the valve cover, got it cleaned up and on the welding table.

What to do?

I want to make some kind of tower for the oil filler.
It is a pain trying to pour oil into the oil fill hole in the valve cover without a funnel and you don’t always have a funnel. If I do it right it will stop an oil leak.

On the right is the original tube after I got all the epoxy off of it.
It had been epoxied to the top of the valve cover for several years but the oil finally soaked through epoxy. Couple that with the extreme heat in the engine compartment and it finally let go.
On the left is an old filler cap.
On the left is an old cap that is no longer legal.
 

At first I thought I would try mounting the original filler tube ( the one that fell off) by drilling holes in the valve cover to bolt it down but I didn’t really want to drill holes if I didn’t have to.

Bob’s Idea.

I got an email from Bob and he sent a couple of pictures of one he made. He modified an old stile cap to make the connection to the valve cover.



It looked like a good idea but I wanted one a little taller.

My Plan.

I have decided that I would use the bottom of the old cap for the connection, with a 5” piece of 1-1/2” diameter pipe for the tower and maybe a threaded abs plastic cap for the cap.

First, I had to separate the bottom of the cap from the rest of it.
There is a rim around the cap that is folded over to hold top and bottom together.

I tried grinding the edge off the cap.

After a couple slips I decide to take a different approach to separating. I did manage to get all the way around without grinding off my finger tips but didn’t get all the way through.

I put the cap in the vise and used a small chisel to cut off the rim. Grinding it first made this part easier.

Here it is all separated.

This picture will give you some idea of where I am going with this.

A New Gasket.

The old gasket on the cap was in real bad shape.
I had to go to get the gasket for the the valve cover so while I was out I tried to find a gasket for the filler cap. Of course that wasn’t happening. I even tried to buy a new cap but couldn’t find one at two parts places.

I decided to try and make a gasket myself.
I had some old gasket material but when I pulled it out, it was so old that it would not unroll, it just crumbled.
I decided to try some plastic I had.
I don’t know how it will hold up in the hot and oily conditions but it should be ok.
I used some chassis punches to make the gasket.

The larger one cut the outside diameter and the one in the vice is making the inner hole.

Here it is on the part.

 

Okay, that is as far as I got today. If I can get a piece of pipe the right size tomorrow I’ll continue with this project. Otherwise I’ll swap out the distributer cap.