One of the valve cover baffles has broken off

So yet again I find myself fishing yet another piece of the "baffle" out from under the valve cover. You can see it in one of the pics I've attached. It came from the valve cover that only has the 2 side pieces of the baffle left. This particular side was the PCV while the other side, also pictured below, that is still intact is the oil filler cap. Note that the other picture is an inside view of the still intact baffle. If you look towards the bottom you can see that something appears to be drilling or cutting into the metal in the center of the baffle.

These valve covers have been in this car for over 20 years now. They were installed prior to me buying the car. It seems odd that something just recently has decided to cut into and literally remove the PVC baffle almost completely and on the other side it's like it's just beginning the process. I would think if something was hitting the cover that would be a real obvious noise but there's a piece of the baffle that was stuck back in behind the last valve and yet the only noise I heard was at initial startup it seemed like the engine has a bit of a clunky sound that seems to go away as it warms up but that makes no sense with what I found that should be more of a piece of tin bouncing between the valves making a more high pitched ching, ching. Ching, ching. Ching, ching, ching.
From right to left:
1: Is the piece of metal that was ripped from the baffle laying beside the upturned valve cover.
2. This is the driver's side PCV baffle. You can see that the 2 bent finger-like structures that were attached are gone leaving only the sides which are not that visible because of the angle.
3. This is what the passenger side baffle looks like. Both baffles are identical in structure.
4. This is a wider view of the driver's side baffle.
5. Finally, you can see that something is beginning to rip away at the bottom of that baffle too. Right now it almost looks like a legitimate hole but it's not. It's been cut away by a rocker or whatever. But why now? And way up at the top of the valve cover, not at towards the bottom where the fingers hang down.

I forgot to say that I'm retiring these valve covers as I've been lucky that I don't think any real damage has been done. I'll probably go for something in aluminum that doesn't rust like the cheap chrome they put on these under hood parts. Stainless would be an option as well.

No, I don't know for sure but they look original to me. The next time I'm out I'll see if I can find some markings. I'm also going to see if there's any play to them although I can't imagine that the only place that would be hit would be just those baffles. I just don't understand how these covers have been in service since I've owned the car and with the little mileage it gets suddenly these rockers or rods are flailing around under the cover? You'd think I would hear it hitting the cover.

I have aluminum ones on the way. This era of having access to items that years ago would have taken many trips to junkyards is interesting. I can get all this stuff but none of it is available in the store's everything must be ordered online. You'd think the store would try to compete a little bit anyway. Well I got 2 other issues to get into so I'd best get typing.

I'm not sure how I would put a single edge against the rods if that's what you are suggesting. But I took a picture and what I see it that some seem to bend one way and others another. I would've expected a little more consistency between them. They don't feel loose to me although some of the tops might twist like a 1/16". Especially looking at the third one.

Now when I blow up that picture that shows the valves, rods, lifters, etc. A couple of questions. The first 3 lifters have some minor wear on the front/side edges. That surprised me because they shouldn't be hitting anything. They don't need to be replaced or anything it's just weird to see scuffs and scrapes and rough edges.

Does it matter that some appear to be leaning left or right?

Regarding the valve clearances aren't they moving at an incredible pace while the engine is running? Kind of like 8 butterflies fluttering from front to back and vice-versa? And you're able to get a socket onto them and keep it there while you untighten and retighten? Do you have to worry about the rocker going off-side or anything? Why are most aftermarket rockers flat? Why do people buy anodized aluminum rockers when no one will see them? Is there a reason for the cupped part?

What makes the oil come up through the rods? Why isn't there oil laying in the lower part of that trough like the rockers? Trough is spelled so odd.

Is there a real possibility of a starvation mode that helping get that oil back faster will help? I would think that GM accounted for every drop and if there was a need for polishing they'd have done it. Similar to the cooling system where you don't want the coolant going through the system too fast or it won't have time to leach the heat out and vice-versa in the radiator and if you go to slow you could overheat from leaving the heat in the engine too long. I have to say it's a marvel that these things work at all. Just getting all those passageways bored into the block without accidentally crossing one another is pretty amazing for those days. Every system has a balance except the windshield wiper fluid. Was it that hard to put two wires in the washer bottle to alert the driver that the fluid was running low and the same with the power steering? Every other fluid system has a dummy light, well not in my car but most cars. And as we all know there's nothing worse than driving in snow slop without windshield washer fluid.

It's funny how they pushed back over the cost of seatbelts and now they've gone way past the government requirements with expensive sensors and computers making cars way too dependent on that crap and adding an extra $20K to the price. It was the engineering that made the car not the software and I know software, it's what I used to do for a living. I do like the self-tuning that's a marvel thanks to the O2 sensor. That's actually pretty cool. But all the spying crap they're building in is no good. I can't imagine a world in which my vehicle won't let me hit the gas peddle to get around an 18-wheeler and would instead leave me behind it for the next 2 hours only letting me see the back of that truck. To me, that's almost a claustrophobic feeling not being able to see around what's in front of you.

The other day I was given a rental while my '07 Mustang was in the shop for some bodywork. I didn't even know how to start the thing it has keys but they only need to be nearby. So if your neighbor is out raking you might be able to take their car for a joy ride just don't turn it off. Then it has this rear camera which I didn't understand with all the geometry drawn on overtop of reality what it was attempting to tell me. Of course, I got the big red X when I stopped to close to the person in front of me and it beeped like every couple of seconds but I had no clue why it was beeping nor what I was supposed to do. There's a whole system of buttons on the mirror to be able to set your radio and a bunch of other things that are way worse than driving with your cellphone. I mean you push one button that takes you to a sub-screen and the choices never end but you're not looking at the road. I was trying to find out the miles per gallon so when I had to fill it up I would have an idea how much gas to put in but I never found it. Then I noticed that it displays the speed limit sign on the dash telling me how fast I was supposed to be driving or controlling how fast I was going? It still let me drive without my seat belt a habit I got into with the Camaro and it's lap belts. I just felt so out of my element. I like driving my cars they are enjoyable but that was too much work and a little unnerving.

I got the new covers on Tuesday. These are a bit narrower at the top by about an inch because of their inverted v-shape. It doesn't go to a point but both sides are tapered in at the top and they have random "posts" for lack of a better word that come down in the center of the valve area maybe an inch and along the upper edge which are all but the height of the cover. I did take a cover out to the car and set it on. It seems to fit. However, the instructions say you're supposed to mold clay into the cover and then hand turn the engine through a cycle. They also have the same baffle setup as my old pair. Which doesn't excite me. Most of the others I looked at just have a piece of plate aluminum covering the holes which would seem a much easier and cleaner way to accomplish the same thing.

Once I get the clay into the covers I'm supposed to hand turn the engine through a cycle but my crank has 3 bolts, not a center bolt. If I take out the plugs will I be able to turn it by hand? My covers didn't come with the instructions I saw them on some site I was looking at but I can't find them anywhere now. Anyway, they listed a spec of I think 1/8" clearance does that sound right? I guess I could call them.

Anything on how to turn the engine with my 3 bolt crank? Could I pull it by using the belt? The plugs have to come out which is fine I do want to see what their condition is with all the problems that I've been dealing with and I can check the compression. This is worse than rehabbing a house. It just goes and goes one thing leading to another.

I almost forgot. How thick should I put this clay on?

I have a serpentine system on the front so the one bolt balancer is no longer.

https://marchperformance.com/chevy/chevy-big-block/pulley-and-bracket-kits/long-water-pump/chevy-big-block-long-water-pump-ultra.html This is the newest one it's got a hole in the center to get at that crank but mine doesn't. I don't know that I can get back far enough to get a picture. If I can I will but this is what it looks like with that difference. I don't have the entier setup but most of it.

I was thinking maybe a piece of wood with holes at the 3 bolts that could have a bolt in the center or even a stand up handle on one of the sides to turn it.