5P,
Tall valve covers are often used when you go to a stud girdle set up to try to keep the real agressive valve train in place. They also allow more space for the flying parts to dissapate energy while comming apart. Thus keeping the chit in the engine and not doing secondary damage to the boat itself.

I've never see the Axa's kitchen table, you probably have, but my guess is that the aforementioned "Cow Pie" is sitting there just out of the camera shot. I'd like ice cream with my next slice .

The kits came with pictures to make sure they are installed correctly. Still dialing in #1 motor. The dominators are a little touchy, but we are close.

I'm not sure if I want to play my whole hand right now on line. There is a reputation at stake you know.....You may have to wait till spring and see them for yourself.

Dave

Now that we are talking about valvetrain...I just love to hear people talk about springs...it can make some people so upset..
..
Do you two hi speed boaters have the same opinion when it comes to best spring to run in my efi500s or do we have a diagrement when it comes to that???

Ragged will chime in with an endurance spring by Isky. He has the part number...Or I would go with a Comp Cams 929 spring for your 500's.

Dave

Ragged I love it....man you stir up the chit everywhere you go.

When you retire and get a Searay are you gonna beatin up the Regal guys.

I'm comming up this summer to meet all you guys in person. I'd hate to hear all this with a couple a beers in ya.

Piece to all

Hey Steve, what the he!! you doing here? You and Wild Bill should come up this summer, maybe try to hit one of the poker run weekends. We could let Bill take a run at one of these hot rod Formulas.

The Regal guys are safe for a few more years, I'm not ready to give up all this fun just yet.

Thats good, I was worried when you had it upside down on your kitchen table. Like they say "A picture is worth a thousand words".

Dominators aren't so tough, I did mine by the seat of my pants and a couple look-sees at the plugs, must have been spot on cause I ran the snot out of them and never had a single engine issue with those 525 SC's for seven seasons. Should be a piece of cake for you with all the puter generated dyno info. You get them done in black to keep with the stealthy theme program?

I put my faith in the Isky's, from what I've seen and heard they are a better quality spring, my engine "Guy" agreed. Once my 500's were rebuilt I never had any issues with the valve train, or anything else for that matter. Also changed the Crane Gold rockers out in favor of the Crower Stainless full rollers, again based on his (my engine "Guy") experience over many years with seeing failures in race motors of the Crane pieces, and never any with the Crowers. I believe Axa told me he is using Isky springs this time around, he could answer that for you, believe he talked to Bob Teague and was told the Isky's are the ticket. In any case I would be glad to look up the part number if you would like it.

How many hours do you have on your 500 EFI's now? If you are around 200+/- you should be considering changing the original springs. My opinion, for what it's worth.

Pushing 230..Maybe I will be pushing my luck but thinking about taking care of it at the end of next season..Not the type of guy that runs flat out allot..So we will see..After reading about head gakets issues thinking we better pull the heads.What input do you have on the gaskets??

Bob

All I can tell you is that changing the springs is a much simpler and less costly deal than dealing with a dropped valve. When mine went I was lucky enough to pick up on a slight tick in the one engine and idled it back to the marina. My thought was that I had a broken inner spring, it was idling and 50' away from the dock when the valve dropped. It just touched the piston once, then the second time bent the valve, locked up and died, at 600 rpm it did very little damage, I was lucky. A friend of mine up here had the same thing happen, only at 5000+, put a big hole in the piston, beat the chit out of the cylinder wall, wipped out the cam, twisted a lifter around and broke the lifter bore out of the block.

What it basically comes down to is that in these engines the factory springs have a limited life, it does vary based on how you run the boat, but at some point they are spent. Problem is you never know just when one is going to chit out on you, and even at a 3500 rpm cruise you can have a mess. I'm not sure on the head gasket deal, mine were fine, I have seen the comments on here about that. At 230 hrs I would be changing the valve springs, again, just my opinion, for what it's worth. Springs are cheap, pistons, blocks and other items are not.