So with the modifications made to the adapter it was time actually install the steering gear. It should be smooth sailing. Yup that's when everything turned into a low grade of crap.

Once the new steering gear and adapter were actually installed what little clearance I had between the gear and valve cover had disappeared....... probably due to the test fitting being done using only 2 of the 4 bolts that mount the adapter plate. Anyway the gear was now rubbing against the lower edge of the valve cover (which protrudes at least a 1/4 " beyond the head) and also the valve cover bolt boss. After studying the clearance issue for a bit I pulled the aluminum valve cover off and set a stock valve cover on. It has all kinds of clearance so I had a decision to make......change over to stock covers (I have a pair of chrome reproduction covers I had set aside for the Poly/Hemi build I'm slowly working on) or try to grind some clearance into the aluminum covers.


Now I really really like the way the aluminum valve covers look on the 57 Plymouth. The down side to them is they can be a pain to keep clean and they are a huge PIA to take off (which I've had to do twice over the years). To get the aluminum covers off requires draining the coolant, pulling the master cylinder, pulling the heater blower and removing the heater box. On the stock style covers it's remove the 6 nuts and pull the covers (after removing the spark plugs and tubes).

Believe it or not I really had to think about what I wanted to do. In the end going to the stock covers on the 57 won out. So I will be playing swap the valve covers. The new chrome ones went on the 57, the aluminum ones will end up on the 37 Dodge truck and the chrome ones from the 37 will be set aside for the Poly/Hemi engine build I'm working on. At least I have all the stuff on hand to do it so I don't have to wait on parts.