oil leak after valve shims

Replaced my valve shims last weekend (thanks Chacal).
Putting my valve cover back on:

There is a layer of silicone grease around the engine lip, the gasket, and then a layer of gasket maker and then the valve cover.

I tightened it down, cleaned it up, and have been driving her all week. Some smoke came off the front section (where the headers attach to the exhaust manifold).

At first, I thought it was just one of the cleaning products I had used or some oil from the job that was burning off. After a week, though, I realized it must be a leak.
Today, I pulled the whole cover off again and checked the gasket for cracks, etc. It looks fine. I put it back on, tightened the valve cover bolts, and drove it around the block. There is still oil dripping on the header pipes. I can't quite tell where it is from. Any ideas?

 

BUMP

 

when I did mine I did not get the cam chain tensioner bolts tight enough and I had a seaping from there that ran down just to the front of the collector box. Did you replace the donut things that go around the bolts? Did you replace the gasket or reuse? I did not use any grease upeon reassembly and just a very very thin layer of rtv on either side(more than likely not needed).

 

The 1981s don't have those donuts. I used a new gasket. Where are the cam chain tension bolts?

 

On the back of the cylinders, in the middle under the carbs, but I don't think that's it.

After the valve cover, the most common source of an oil leak up on the front of the motor is the tach gear housing, it has TWO seals in it, one obvious, one not so.

 

bigfitz,

I think it's likely that it is the tach gear housing. The tach (cable) stopped working a few months ago. While I was working on the valve cover, I unscrewed the cable from the engine to check it out. It was rusted and brittle and a straight piece fell out.

Sounds like I need a new cable and housing. I'll order it from Len when I've scraped the dough together.
Thanks.

 

You most likely won't need the housing; just the two seals in it (plus a tach cable of course.)