Valve covers

[justin260z]

Which valve cover usually brings more money when restored and painted nicely. The regular nissan ohc one or the TURBO one.

[sblake01]

My guess would be the Turbo because the others are more common. I see them (the regular one) all the time on my trips to the junkyard and people just seem to leave them there while most every time I see a turbo car, the valve cover is gone I actually have a Turbo valve cover on my 78 280Z though the car doesn't have a turbo. I also have an early 'Nissan 2400CC' valve cover among my parts. Those are getting harder to find. Haven't seen one of those for sale for a while. I ultimately plan to put that on my 810 though it's the incorrect valve cover for that car, it kind of works with the 2.4 liter L24E. I guess the rarest would be the JDM block letter NISSAN valve cover. Wish I could find one of those at a resonable price. I saw one at the junkyard years ago but didn't buy it because at that time I didn't realize that it was anything special.:stupid:

[theianmonster]

The Nissan 2400 OHC cover.

[justin260z]

OOH OOH there is a NISSAN block valve cover on ebay RIGHT NOW for 180 dollars. Doesnt seem like a bad price AT ALL but im dead broke. Otherwise id buy it. Its buy it now for 180. Check it out. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/datsun-nissan-big-letter-nissan-valve-cover-240z-280z_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33627QQihZ005QQitemZ150197343091QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

[justin260z]

The Nissan 2400 OHC cover.

My valve cover doesnt say 2400 on it. Only nissan ohc.

[sblake01]

The Nissan 2400 OHC cover.

That's what I meant. It's in a box under the workbench and I haven't looked at it for about a year.

[sblake01]

My valve cover doesnt say 2400 on it. Only nissan ohc.

The one I and Ian mentioned does. It's the earliest one used on the 240Z in the US. Look at 26thZ's avitar. IIRC it's a picture of one.

[justin260z]

Ive seen those before. Ive seen ones that say nissan 2000 on them too. I think those were used on the old Skyline engines.

[26th-Z]

Season's Greetings my valve cover collector friends!

S30 variants included a 2.0 liter engine and you will find the "Nissan 2000" appropriate for them. Here in America, we got the 2.4 liter engine and early valve covers were noted with the "Nissan 2400 OHC". Later models of the 2.4 liter engine have the common "Nissan OHC" valve cover. I could be wrong, but I associate the "NISSAN" valve cover and the turbo valve cover with the S130 models.

Now, conduct a search through the archives and you will find a mess of threads dealing with all the different valve covers that will fit on the Z. But to answer the initial question, I would say the TURBO valve cover would bring the most money however I would leave it unpainted.

BTW, never sand blast a valve cover. The sand grit will get inside the baffels.

CW-

[justin260z]

Thanks for the info 26th! The only reason I was going to paint it is because it looks pretty nasty. I think someone has painted it before me, and that paint is coming off. I know the Nissan OCH valve covers weren't painted from the factory, but were the TURBO valve covers painted black from the factory? I see a lot of them that have black paint chipping off. I have also seen some that are raw aluminum color, never been painted.

[Arne]

I also have an early 'Nissan 2400CC' valve cover among my parts. Those are getting harder to find. Haven't seen one of those for sale for a while. I ultimately plan to put that on my 810 though it's the incorrect valve cover for that car, it kind of works with the 2.4 liter L24E.

The evidence so far seems to show that for cars here in the US (and Canada), the "2400 OHC" cover was only used on manual transmission cars through sometime during 10/70 production. Some manual transmission 10/70 cars had the 2400 cover, others came with the later "Nissan OHC" cover. As near as I and others have been able to piece together, all automatics (which started in 9/70 or so) had the later cover.

Like Stephen, even though it wouldn't be 'correct' for my (7/71) car, IF I were to dress up my engine compartment with a polished cover, I think the 2400 cover would be what I'd like to use. Since I have no plans to swap in an L28, it would be cool to have a valve cover that actually describes the engine.

[Vintage]

Thanks for the info 26th! The only reason I was going to paint it is because it looks pretty nasty. I think someone has painted it before me, and that paint is coming off. I know the Nissan OCH valve covers weren't painted from the factory, but were the TURBO valve covers painted black from the factory? I see a lot of them that have black paint chipping off. I have also seen some that are raw aluminum color, never been painted.

Yes, the 81-83 Nissan Turbo valve cover was black from the factory, however, the letters and outlining rectangle were bare.