Early Valve Spring Retainers?

[Harlan Halsey]

Ron Chuck disassembled a pair of early heads which he had had untouched for 30+years. These are the ones with the slot cut between the cylinders. The intake valves had the pictured retainers! Neither of us have seen these before.

The purpose of the skirt is probably to reduce the oil getting onto the valve stem, but this makes them relatively heavy.

Does anyone recognize these?

Harlan Halsey

[Alan Hall]

As I recall the heads with the "cut" between cylinders were used for a short period of time around 1956, and I thought the factory was still using the inner and outer spring arrangement then. Did the heads have the dual springs on the exhaust? Although I have never seen or heard of these retainers, I suppose they could have been the first attempt at using single springs. Or perhaps they were from a different application being used by someone to allow use of a single spring. More information on what springs were in the head might help determine what these are.

Alan

[Harlan Halsey]

The exhaust springs were single with the usual retainers. Only the intake retainers were unusual. They are nicely designed, machined, and hardened so they are like a factory part.
Harlan