Apparently quality in the aftermarket isn't near as big a deal as it is with OE suppliers (I work for one, and we get told about it every day) as there were two big issues I found on my heads after I already had them on the engine. It is partially my fault for not going over them with a fine tooth comb, but they aren't things that you expect to see from a supplier with AFR's reputation.

The first thing I found was a casting flaw extending into the pushrod hole for the #7 cylinder exhaust valve. I ground this out with the head on the engine, making sure to cover everything and use a vacuum to suck up chips while grinding. It was a big PITA, but casting flaws happen. It looked like a small chunk of the sand had either broken out or wasn't fully formed before casting.

The second thing, which I found tonight while beginning to put the rocker arms on the heads, could have destroyed my engine. The exhaust valve spring on the #1 cylinder only had one keeper in it!!!! Due to the double springs, I can't use my valve spring compressor and will have to buy or rent a stud mounted one in order to get the single keeper out and fix it.

It pissed me off that I paid that much money for a set of heads only to have crap like this happen that is completely avoidable.

of course they don't fine tooth every head but, the more reputable they are the better customer service they should have. so i would give them a call and see what you can get for your time and money. maybe they'll send a new one or give you a little refund

must have been "friday" head.

Yeah I'll be giving them a call tomorrow when I get the chance, but for how much they cost, they most certainly should go through each head with a fine tooth comb. It wouldn't be that difficult to set up a vision system to catch something like this either.

AFR offered to send me a pair of locks, but will not reimburse me for the cost of the new valve spring compressor I have to buy unless I send the head back to them. Heck, a cheap one costs $20, and it would cost more to ship the head back to them, not to mention the PITA to take off the intake and head then reinstall another head and put the intake back on. That makes perfect financial sense...

Interesting..I guess all companies have their issues. Did you order these from AFR or a dealer of AFR products?

I'm surprised AFR wont fund the spring compressor. One I used was simple lever bar for 7 bucks

Always check your engine parts well before bolting them onto the motor. Lesson #1.

I had a similar problem where AFR sent me there head with 3/8 studs when I ordered 7/16, they wanted me to send the heads back but after waiting 3 months for them I decided to eat the cost and get some ARP ones. Plus the price to ship them back would have been to much.

I had an issue on my AFR 210s where the left over fragments from cutting the cooling passage into the head knocked the disc into the passage way. Which I'm guessing was from a bit getting a little dull and the head not being cleaned and inspected well enough. I found it when I inspected the parts on arrival and removed it without issue, but would have definitely affected cooling and I would hate to think about what it would have done if it got into the new water pump...

I was pretty surprised by it too, but maybe I didn't go high enough up the food chain. I ordered the parts through Summit, and the guy at AFR was giving me a hard time for taking the sticker off the heads with the id number for them.

I went through and blew out all the coolant passages as well as the intake and exhaust ports to make sure there were no shavings left in them...just don't normally think to check for the locks on a valve spring.

I was already pissed off at that point too since the mini starter I bought wouldn't fit with the Hooker 2210's. It was a pretty frustrating day working on the car...

They cost way too much to be a burden that is all there is to it.

I have only heard great things about the GM fastburns. Would those be a better product?

The GM Fastburns will never flow as well as an AFR 210. When changing the dual springs on my Trick Flows, I just used a cheapy lever type compressor. Its a workout but no problem. Be sure to use a holding fixture.

Good news, I talked to Tony at AFR, and he settled everything. I was right that I didn't go high enough up there as Tony offered to send me a check for the valve spring compressor and was actually interested in getting a picture of the defect. I'm still disappointed that I had two separate issues with the heads, but the customer service at AFR is top notch. I'm sure I'll forget all about it once I drive it for the first time too.

That is decent of them it's the least they could do really. I mean not having to mess with the head is part of the value of buying assembled heads. To be honest though after seeing what you have I would be tempted to tare those down and check installed height on those springs because whoever built them wasn't the sharpest. I'm guessing he didn't impact test that valve, just a guess.

It's not always the screw up that's bad it's how it's handled afterward that is important.

I've got 2 sets of the AFR 195's that I'm running. I haven't noticed anything on either vehicle and one has almost 10,000 miles on it with these heads. The other is a forced induction car and isn't showing any issues either.

I did make a point of blowing out all the passages though before installing. And my mechanic friends who were assisting went over them pretty thoroughly in the process of fondling them prior to installation. So, I'm happy but will take this as a warning to do actual inspections on the next set I get to actually verify everything.