There is the bottom line. The owner wrecked it to put on a fancy valve cover, not you. It's his problem, not yours.
But looking at the pics of the new victor....... wow, that's BAD!
Ya I know it isn’t my fault but knowing I could fix it if it was mine doesn’t help. I’m not a good aluminum welder but I have a spool gun and Tig welder so if it was mine I would weld and grind, weld and grind and raise it so it could be ported correctly. I just can’t or want to get into that on customers stuff. I can weld but I’m not a welder. But if any of you guys find yourself grabbing a grinder to remove enough wet Al to run your “FAB” covers let this be a lesson. Use these and do it right. Cheap no they are not as I know because I have two sets. Bolt right on??? No again. At least not for me. I had to elongate the bolt holes and do quite a bit of grinding for pushrod clearance. So fit them up on the engine stand with everything bolted in place.