McLaren Valve Covers COMING SOON!

 

CSO Billet Valve Covers for McLaren M838T & M840T Engines

Engineered to Solve the Problems We Kept Seeing

At Cannonball Garage, we don’t develop products based on theory. We develop them after years of engine teardowns, diagnostics, failures, and real-world experience working on McLaren engines every single day.

The CSO Billet Valve Covers were born from one simple observation:

The factory plastic valve covers were causing problems.

What initially appeared to be isolated wear patterns eventually revealed a much larger issue affecting multiple generations of McLaren V8 engines. During inspections and engine builds, we repeatedly discovered contact marks where the intake camshaft lobes were physically contacting the internal plastic ribbing of the OEM valve covers.

That contact was slowly shaving plastic debris into the engine.

And that was just the beginning.

 

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The Problems with the Factory Valve Covers

Internal Plastic Contact & Contamination

The factory McLaren valve covers use internal plastic stiffening ribs. Due to the mirrored design of the covers and the geometry of the camshafts, one bank can experience contact between the intake cam lobes and the plastic rib structure.

Over time, this creates:

• Plastic debris contamination in the engine
• Oil system contamination
• Additional filter loading
• Potential long-term wear concerns

We observed the same wear patterns repeatedly across all McLaren V8 engines and model generations.

 

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Warping & Distortion

The OEM covers are molded plastic. After years of heat cycles, crankcase pressure, and engine vibration, they begin to distort and lose their shape.

This distortion creates several problems:

• Inconsistent gasket compression
• Poor sealing around critical bridge sections
• Oil seepage
• Crankcase scavenging inefficiencies
• Spark plug tube leaks

When inspected side-by-side, used factory covers visibly bow and warp.

Plastic simply cannot maintain the dimensional stability required in a high-performance dry sump engine environment long term.

 

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Spark Plug Tube Seal Failure

One of the most common issues we see is oil accumulating inside the spark plug tubes.

As the factory covers warp upward, the seals lose proper engagement around the spark plug tube openings. Crankcase pressure then pushes oil past the seals, allowing oil to drain down into the spark plug wells.

The result:

• Oil-contaminated ignition components
• Misfire potential
• Oil leaks
• Additional maintenance concerns

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Dry Sump Bridge Section Sealing Issues

The bridge section of the valve cover plays a critical role in crankcase scavenging efficiency.

McLaren themselves revised the gasket design multiple times in an attempt to improve sealing in this area. Poor sealing here can contribute to:

• Oil scavenging inefficiencies
• Smoking issues
• Overfill symptoms
• Poor crankcase evacuation

The root issue, however, remained unchanged:
The plastic covers continued to flex and distort.

The problem was real. So we engineered a solution.

 

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The CSO Solution

Fully Billet Aluminum Construction

The CSO Billet Valve Covers eliminate the weaknesses of the OEM plastic design entirely.

Precision machined from billet aluminum, our covers:

• Remain perfectly flat under heat cycles
• Resist distortion and flexing
• Eliminate internal plastic contact points
• Improve gasket stability
• Improve long-term sealing reliability

No plastic.
No warping.
No compromise.

 

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Redesigned Internal Geometry

We completely redesigned the internal structure of the valve covers to eliminate any possibility of camshaft-to-cover contact.

This means:

• No plastic shedding
• No debris contamination
• Increased long-term engine protection

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Improved Spark Plug Tube Sealing

We redesigned the spark plug tube sealing geometry to significantly increase seal engagement depth and sealing pressure.

The result is:

• Better oil control
• Improved sealing consistency
• Reduced likelihood of oil intrusion into plug wells

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Improved Bridge Section Sealing

The billet design maintains consistent clamping force and gasket compression across the bridge section, improving crankcase scavenging efficiency and overall sealing stability.

 

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Designed for Street Cars, Rally Cars, and High Horsepower Builds

Whether your McLaren is:

• A daily-driven street car
• A track-focused build
• A 1,300+ horsepower CSO-X build

The CSO Billet Valve Covers provide a level of durability and engineering confidence the factory covers simply cannot match.

 

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Developed Through Real-World Experience

They were developed by the same team:

• Diagnosing failures
• Building engines
• Performing inspections
• Supporting customer cars across the country

Every design decision came directly from real-world observations and years of McLaren-specific experience.

 

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Features

• Precision CNC-machined billet aluminum construction
• Eliminates OEM plastic deformation issues
• Eliminates camshaft-to-cover contact concerns
• Improved spark plug tube sealing
• Improved bridge section sealing
• Increased long-term reliability
• Designed for M838T & M840T McLaren engines
• Compatible with high horsepower and track applications

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CSO Engineering Philosophy

At Cannonball Special Operations, we don’t just chase horsepower numbers.

We identify weaknesses.
We study failures.
We engineer solutions.

The CSO Billet Valve Covers are a perfect example of that philosophy that you can hold in your hands.

 

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Ready to Upgrade Your McLaren?

Contact Cannonball Garage today for more information.

Let’s build your McLaren the right way.

Click HERE to learn more.

 

McLaren Valve Covers COMING SOON!

 

Applications

• McLaren M838T
• McLaren M840T