hi Jim;
I found this thread today and read all 56 pages. I read that you can't seem to find a nice looking valve cover for your S10 motor well heres a place to find nice cast aluminum finned rocker covers and side covers and maybe a nice aluminum oil pan go to your nearest boat salvage! Mercruiser uses Chevrolet based engines for several of their power packages! The boat engines can even be used in cars with just a little work and the boat versions come with more stock HP than the same car version ! I have the older Mercruiser engine as used in the old Chevy II Novas in the car they were I believe 90 HP but in the boat they came stock as either 120 HP or 140 HP with either a 2 barrel carb or a 4 barrel.These engines bolt right up to a almost any GM Transmissions. You might need to look at a few boat engines to find one like yours go by the year of your engine.My engine has all these aluminum pieces but they are painted on the boats so no one notices they are cast aluminum.There is also an Aluminum 3 ltr Mercruiser 4 cylinder that Mercruiser cast their own block for that uses the GM bellhousing bolt pattern but uses 460 CI big block Ford head and internals other than the crank and cam.Find a right side Ford racing Aluminum head and you got a real light weight screamer!These engines were all popular in midget racing and there's lots of aftermarket racing parts for all of them. I haven't found a reverse rotation boat engine but I hear they do exist but replacing the cam and distributor would correct that.There are a couple discussions on "Boat motors" in hot rods here chevy ll 4 banger ? - THE H.A.M.B. And here The elusive 224/3.7 MerCruiser banger - THE H.A.M.B. I was given my engine along with the hull (total junk) and trailer free just to get it out of the yard the motor runs fine! I been cutting the bad glass hull into small pieces and sending it out with the weekly trash.Lots of "free" extras as well this way like full set of Stewart warner guages and insert miles of color coded wiring and SS fittings fuel tanks etc.
Leon