351W (yes, a ford) cast valve covers

Ok gotcha, I thought you were saying this car was a 5.0. Was kind of a confusing post you wrote up. Yeah most everything is the same between the two. Except the deck height, balancer, stroke, and intake. Exhaust manifolds are a little diffweent as well, but you are correct, bolt pattern for valve covers are same.
That's cool , fix the silly thing ...
I can't imagine the heat contractions, between heated engine at 180-220 Fahrenheit, and below 32 degrees, of such .
Yeah, stiffer valve covers ,and some '94 -'98 5.0 Explorer silicone blue gaskets, would seal it nicely. Just ,personal opine.