Explorer intake and Mustang valve covers

[Chris]

I've finally getting some work done on this thing. Saturday I got my valve covers painted and installed, then I painted and installed my lower intake. I was getting really excited to see it all coming together. I decided to set my upper intake on to see what everything will look like. Thats when I discovered my problem. My oil fill tube comes up right in front of my throttle body. I'm using stock aluminum Mustang valve covers that I modified to clear my roller rockers. Has anybody else come across this? Is there anything that can be done on the cheap(I'm already WAY over budget)?

[cgrey8]

Yep, Dave had this same problem and so what he did was jacked the upper intake higher using an intake spacer.

Trick Flow Specialties TFS-51520020 - Trick Flow® EFI Heat Spacer Kits


This is the result:


But when he did that, he ran into another problem. The cap was no longer a clearance issue, but was still covered up by the elbow. And he had to add some pipe to the EGR line since the spacer increased the distance between the EGR and the manifold.

So yeah these are common complications when you use valve covers other than the Explorer covers when also trying to reuse the elbow. Most people ditch the elbow and set it up like a Mustang including using a Mustang throttlebody that opens in the opposite rotating direction as an Explorer throttlebody.

[Chris]

I was actually considering a 1" intake spacer but was wondering what everybody else was using. I just didn't want to have to remove my intake tube to the throtle body every time I change my oil. Maybe a long funnel...

[v8ranger]

Why not just swap the valve covers side to side?? I know it will end up putting the oil fill on the back side. But why cant you just do that. Then you just have to make a couple of your vacum lines longer... Or just get a differant set of covers... Just my 2 cents....

[cgrey8]

Then the plenum would be ontop of the oil filler cap.

[Teddyzee]

The Explorer valve cover uses a rubber fill tube that has a bend to clear the intake tubing. You could cut your fill tube to a 1" height, and then use the Ex piece or similar on top.

[Chris]

Thanks for all the suggestions, I think I may have found a solution. I'm going to try raising the upper intake 1" then cut the oil fill lower. Then I will use a push in style breather/ oil fill cap with a rubber grommet. I believe this will allow me to remove the oil breather without having to remove the intake tube just to refill my oil. I'll find out this weekend...