Thread: Tech question for tech re fed

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"PS--Blowing a valve cover gasket on a FED can REALLY make for a wild ride!!!! Make sure you use good covers and gaskets!!!!!"

Dave, I'm glad you brought this up. Alcohol and Fuel ranks have this covered by requiring vent hoses attached to each valve cover and leading to the rear of the car to dump into a sump tank. They use 1 1/4" ID hose, but you wouldn't need anything that large for a production motor. The way they do it is run from the valve cover to the top frame rail at the side/rear of the motor and use the frame rail as a carrier to the rear of the car, where a hose takes off from the frame rail in the rear to the 2-gallon catch tank.

I might be thinkin' along the lines of 5/8ths or 3/4 inch hose for a production motor. I'd use a cast aluminum cover with a rubber gasket. You could cut a hole in the top of each cover and heliarc an elbow in that would take a hose. Even if you couldn't make provision to use the top frame rails, running two hoses to the rear wouldn't be any big deal. A 2, 3 or 4 qt. can with internal baffling could be mounted at the rear of the car. Entry tubes on the bottom of the can and vent tubes to atmosphere at the top of the can. That would alleviate the crankcase pressure that extrudes the gasket in the first place and make a safer car. Personally, I think it should be required on any open-bodied, front motor car.