Exhaust manifolds opinion and valve cover idetification pls

[Jocigar]

I blasted and eastwood coated the manifolds... the pitting is very obvious once painted on one side... would you leave it or look for better condition ?   I don't think I mind it so much as it adds some character in this case... but maybe pitting is excessive ?   

Also, Am I suppose to eliminate the butterfly damper ?  I think I remember reading about removing it but leave the weight and shaft for authentic look ?


Regarding valve covers.. I ended up with 4;
1. which ones are correct for late 1969 440-6 ? 
2. if some of the folding tabs are missing do they sell replacements?
3. Lastly, some also show pitting... maybe it should try and sand surface to level them out or leave ?

Thank you all

[kawahonda]

I'm going to be watching this because I'm interested how to leave the shaft and the coil on the manifold to get the authentic look. The only problem with this approach is that in my case, exhaust leaks around the shaft, so you still need a way to seal around the shaft. The why I've done this is high-heat JB weld.

You can definitely fill pitted areas on the valve covers.

[Chryco Psycho]

I would use the manifolds you have , the iron is thick the pitting would not bother me .

Most of these engines are not run in cold weather anymore so the heat riser really is not needed as it was used to heat the carb to prevent carb icing , I usually just remove the plate from the shaft & leave the shaft in place to seal the holes , you want to leave a small amount of the plate to prevent the shaft from sliding out tho .
the covers on the right are 70 so would be correct  , IIRC 69 model yearstill used the push on breather .