SNIP John does removing the wiper motor eliminate the need to hammer the firewall when installing an aluminum valve cover for clearance? "Doc" SNIP Doc and all By removing the wiper motor and that pesky wiper clip, this gives you room to maneuver the replacement (or original) valve cover down onto the head by tipping it to get enough room and is a whole bunch easier than trying to move the engine around (done that one too). I have had no clearance problem with replacement valve covers, one aluminum, one plastic, a couple of chromed and multiple stock. But as soon as I say that I am sure that there will be an aluminum one out there that will bite me. Many aftermarket aluminum valve covers were actually designed for the Jeep which does not have the clearance issues between the engine and the fire wall. However most of those were designed for the 1981 and newer head which does not have the mounting hole compatibility with the 1980 and older cylinder heads. As far as gasket sealer goes I generally use Permatex formagasket #2. I will NOT use any of the various RTV products due to general catastrophic failure of pretty much anything I have tried the stuff with except those specific applications that call it out for OEM and in that case it has worked well or any other form of goo in a tube. Anyway that has been my experience in that area. Hey Doc! Have you evaluated your modeling skills on repairing or reproducing the Hornet Emblem on the hood? John _______________________________________________ AMC-List mailing list AMC-List@xxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.wps.com/mailman/listinfo/amc-list or go to http://www.amc-list.com