I purchased a 97 timing cover, with the crank position sensor holes. I know it will bolt onto any LT1 and work fine as long as I close the holes up but I was wondering if it would be advantageous for me to weld in or thread a magnetic bolt into there so I could remove it when changing oil to make sure no metal shavings are in the timing cover and remove them if there are?

And what timing chains will I be able to run with this cover, besides the LT4 heavy duty?

 

I think it would be much simpler to just cap the hole with a freeze plug and use a magnestic plug in the oilpan drain hole. It should be possible to tap the cover for a bolt if you want to though, although you'll need to be careful not to crack the cover in the process. Once you cap the hole, you basically have a 95 cover. Assuming you're doing the vented opti conversion, you can run the stock, Lt4, or Extreme Duty chain set. If you go with an electric water pump you can also go with various double roller chain setups - you may have to clearance the inside face of the cover for the double roller though - I had to anyway with the double roller I bought from Combination Motorsports...

 

Alright, I just thought maybe there was a chance some of the oil didnt get put back into the pan from the bottom of the timing cover.

So I have to go to Elec H2O pump in order to run any aftermarket timing sets? Any idea how much Jason Cromer can get the HD LT4 set for? I dont really like the idea of electric water pumps.

 

You only need the electric water pump if your going with a double roller. The LT4 and Etreme duty gearsets can be run with the stock water pump, since the cam sprockets on these sets have the ring gear on the backside that will drive the water pump.

 

Thats what I meant, is there any advantages to a double roller over the Extreme duty GM set? It is a 383 hydraulic, wont be revving over 6700.

 

You can get a double roller and CSI pump for about the same price as the Extreme Duty set. The electric pump also frees up a little horsepower.

I've never heard any bad comments about the ED piece (other than the price) though - People who run it seem to like it very well. Also the stock water pump seems to be more reliable that the elec ones. So you're looking at compromises either way... and I cant really say one setup is better than the other.