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Valley Pans
Pontiac V8 Valley Pans
Clear the Lifters, Seal the Valley — Valley Pans for Pontiac V8s
The valley pan is the tray that seals the lifter valley under the intake manifold on a Pontiac V8. It keeps oil out of the intake, carries the PCV provision on stock-style pans, and on a roller cam engine it has to clear the lifters and their tie bars — which is exactly where the stock pan runs out of room.
Butler stocks the Tomahawk stock-appearing steel pan modified for roller lifters, a stock reproduction for 1961-67 326/389/421, and thick aluminum valley pans for high-lift roller valvetrains.
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1. Steel Stock-Appearing or Aluminum
The choice comes down to how the engine looks, whether you need a PCV, and how much lifter clearance the cam demands.
| Tomahawk stock appearing, 1968 and up | A reproduction of the stock two-piece design modified to clear all solid and hydraulic roller lifters. Steel, with a stock look in silver electroplate that can be painted, and a PCV provision. Grommet, gasket, PCV valve and bolts are separate; Butler lists an installation kit with all four. |
| 1961-67 stock reproduction | A reproduction of the stock two-piece design for 1964-67 326/389/421 that also fits 1961-63 389 and 421, though not stock appearing on those. Steel, with a PCV provision. Clearancing may be needed for hydraulic roller lifters. |
| Aluminum | Butler has these custom made from thick aluminum, supplied with hardware and an instruction sheet. A cast aluminum version is also offered that clears roller lifters and uses stock hardware, with the stock gasket or sealer. These are required to clear many solid roller and all hydraulic roller lifters. |
2. PCV, EGR and Tri-Power
Read these restrictions before you decide, because they rule parts in and out outright.
| No EGR | None of these pans are for use with EGR intakes, which means the 1973-79 EGR manifolds are out. They are also not for the 301. |
| No PCV on the aluminum pans | The aluminum pans have no PCV valve provision, and Butler does not recommend them for street use unless a crankcase vacuum pump is being used. If the car is a street car without an evac pump, take the steel pan. |
| Tri-Power | The Tomahawk pan will not work on 1964 and earlier Tri-Power. It works on 1965, 1966 and the aluminum reproduction Tri-Power, and on 1967 four barrel stock intakes, moving the PCV from rear to front on those years. |
3. Fitment: Two Things That Are Not Optional
Both come straight out of Butler's own product copy, and both bite people who assume the pan drops in.
| Check pan to intake clearance | Valley pan to intake clearance on a Pontiac must always be checked, with stock or aftermarket pans and intakes alike. You may have to grind the bottom of the intake runners if the manifold sits on the pan, and grind the top edges of the pan. That is normal and expected. |
| Stud depth on the aluminum pan | Do not install the studs more than 3/4" deep. Damage to a cam bearing can occur. Measure, mark the stud, and stop. |
Decide roller or flat tappet first, then street with PCV or race with an evac pump, then check the intake against the pan on the bench.
Not sure what your Pontiac needs?
Call our tech team at 866-762-7527. Tell us your engine, heads, car, and power goal, and we will put the parts together as one combination that works.