LS1 Fuel Rail Covers

**89LX** · 11-21-2006, 02:45 AM

I am thinking about Rail Covers for my 2000 Z28. Are there attach points on the motor for these covers or are they stuck on with Velcro (ugh). I understand the TCB cable pulley might interfere and require some fine tuning and can handle that. Just don't want my engine compartment items stuck together with tape. In other words do they screw on to something? Any first hand experience appreciated.

**Somebody09** · 11-21-2006, 04:03 AM

Yeah your covers will have to be modified slightly.

Passenger side: I cut a hole for my oil dip-stick and a made some room for the cable bracket. Take your time and move a little at a time. I also had a cut a little bit off in the back for the transmission dip-stick tube. I didn't cut half of the passenger cover off like many people do. If you want to keep as much cover as you can, just cut away at the parts that rub. I still have my emissions coming off of my headers, which, on the passenger side, had to be bent outboard a little bit to keep it from pushing up on the cover. You could cut away at the cover, but I chose not to. It's also much easier to install if you temporarily pull the emissions junk out. I scratched my freshly painted covers trying to force them in place. I ran one of the cables from my bracket beneath my cover, exiting almost the very rear (no TC thing up by the battery for me) and the other one on top, since it was too short.

Driver's side: If you get 97-98 covers, the driver's side will already have two holes for the fuel feed & return lines, however, the hole for the rail-mounted regulator will be a little longer, leaving an ugly gap. If you get the later version covers, you'll have to cut your own 2nd hole for fuel return line, but the rail-mounted regulator will fit just right! Also, I've noticed the later covers seem to leave a bit if a larger gap above the intake manifold... meaning, they don't sit as snug. The 97-98s have a better (but not perfect) fit around the manifold. The same amount of cutting could apply to the driver's side. If you have your emissions stuff, you can cut nearly half of your cover off and get an easy fit. Again, I didn't; I cut away just enough to get my air tube through. This means there's a hole and I have to disconnect the tube if I want to pull the cover off. It's not hard, it just takes some extra time. Towards the back I shimmed off some plastic so the air regulator thing had some space. The throttle cable bracket will have to be removed, and some of the electric connectors might have to be smushed down to get things to fit. If you don't tie these up somehow, they will smack on your cover and the underside of your cowl. It's VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY annoying!

I disconnected the wiring harness from the fuel rail on both sides and twist-tied them beneath the holes that they were mounted to. They kind of got in my way.

Both covers snap onto the fuel rail, and towards the bottom on the underside of the covers there are litte metal clips, plugs, whatever. They snap onto the fiver or six bolts atop your coil-packs. If you look at your coil-packs, there are 3 bolts (holding the coil-packs down via the brackets) on each side with a little upside down vase shaped tip. That's where the metal clips snap onto. I, however, don't use any of those clips. On the passenger side one gets in the way of the hole for the oil dip-stick, and on the driver side they seem to lay uneven, making the cover bend and whatnot.

I say, just try it out and see. It's time consuming to cut your own junk, but better than spending $250 for someone else to do it. I used a dremmel and a grinding bit to do my "cutting". I had more control over it that way. The plastic will melt, of course, and get everywhere, but you can peel/break it off if it builds up, except on the bit. That shit seems to stay there.