1964 1965 Shelby CSX Cobra Buddy Bar Open Letter Valve Covers HiPo 289 GT350 64

Description

For sale is a pair of 1964 CSX Shelby and 1965 Shelby GT350 Mustang Buddy Bar Open Letter Cobra Valve Covers. Condition is used.
Only 1 of these valve covers has the Buddy Bar casting inside, so this 1 Open Letter Cobra valve cover would be correct for a 64 Cobra and 65 to early/carry-over 66 Shelby GT350 Mustang. This particular valve cover in the photos has the unmodified fill tube/breather neck. There are no cracks, deep gouges or deep scratches on this valve cover. There are however some small dings on the fins and light scratches. See the pics for details. Has Buddy Bar Casting Co. On the inside of the cover.
The other valve cover, a late summer 1963 to 1964 Cobra valve cover, is IDENTICAL to the cover listed above, just does not have Buddy Bar Casting Co. on the inside of the cover. This cover has a modified fill tube/breather neck. This can be removed and replaced with the PCV gromet. There are also a few deep gouges/scratches on the fins, as well as lighter nicks and scratches. No cracks or breaks on the cover. I have been informed that none of the 1963 (no oil fill or PCV) covers or the first 1964 (oil fill and PCV added) had "Buddy Bar" identification cast in. (An aluminum tag was attached to the wooden pattern to create the text in the casting.) This cover, as well as the one described above, were made sometime between late summer 1963 and to about December 1964.
The following is a write up from Dan Case, who is an expert in the Shelby Cobras:
"All the "open letter" rocker arm covers were made by Buddy Barksdale's company based on call outs in the Shelby parts lists. The first four casting patterns DID NOT INCLUDE any "BUDDY BAR" text cast into them. All the textless versions were made in 1963. Versions one, two, and three were made for 1962-63 260/289 engines using road draft tube engine ventilation. The fourth version added provisions for oil filling / venting and a place for a 1964 model year grommet and PCV valve.
The original 1964 version for oil fill side (for Cobras) had chromium plated oil fill tubes and no "BUDDY BAR" text inside. The chromium plating was thin and low quality so tubes rusted red quickly. The assemblies were soon fully updated to cadmium plated oil fill tubes and had the famous "BUDDY BAR" text added. 1963-1964 all 1964 model year covers started as a single casting that got machined to become either oil fill or pcv sides. That means that there are 1963 made covers out there for a PCV that do not have "BUDDY BAR" in them either."
Both covers are originals and both appear to have been sanded/polished on the flat faces of the covers, just like how the fins are polished.
The very last photo shows how my pair of quality reproduction covers (bottom valve cover in the last photo photo) differ from these originals. The reproduction covers have fatter letters on the "powered by ford" and more rounded edges on the COBRA script. Very noticeable differences when side by side.
If you have any questions at all or would like more detailed photos, please let me know!