Eddy RPM heads: Should I be concerned about this casting defect?

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Besides,, if you were to try and re-sell them,, how much would you have to discount them for a potential sale,, they could be hard to turn over..

Send it back,,
 
Problem is if you install it and build the top end. And it fractures in 4000 miles. THEN you will wish you had talked to Vic's boys. I disagree with any poster who thinks it isnt anything to worry about. Someone looked at that cylinder head and said "its ok".
 
It's going back. Will deal with the seller, but I'm contacting Edelbrock too.

To clarify, it is a low spot in the casting, so the machined surfaces of the stand couldn't be cleaned up there.

Thanks for the replies everyone. Sometimes I feel like these situations happen to me more often that it should.
 
No-tm- It happens to ALL of us,Just some people don't let others know it happened and things like this continue to happen,I for one probably would have missed it and I'm glad you put it on here--Steve
 
swifter said:
No-tm- It happens to ALL of us,Just some people don't let others know it happened and things like this continue to happen,I for one probably would have missed it and I'm glad you put it on here--Steve
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a lot of edelbrocks stuff is cast over there now,they just have to have a certain percent made here to claim- made in america, been that way for quite a while-thot everyone new that----just sayin
 
While I agree it should be sent back, but not for any other reason than to let Edelbrock know they need to stay on their toes. It looks like the mold did not quite fill there--probably not a real big deal in the grand scheme of things. Send it back to cover your butt. J.Rob
 
We can al laugh but as others have said - it happens all the time so you have to be careful with anything. I've seen issues with all brands and types of parts. ARP - a great product but also famous for omitting bits from their packages. I've found cam bearingsin perfect boxes that were squished out of ound. Missing parts, shipping-damaged parts, missing gaskets from kits, mis-boxed an mis-labeled stuff... When I managed a parts store it was constant. So bad that we had to ge good enough with visuals of the various parts to check before they left that they were at least the right part in the box. Or that you had primary and secondary shoes in a box, or 16 pushrods in the box. That was back in the 80s and 90s. It happens to everyone, it has been happening for as long as their have been replacement parts, and it happens a lot. How do you think all those NOS parts in opened boxes got to be? I worked at a dealership... the factory pipelines are no better...lol.
 
I should also mention that there was one bolt with washer in a baggie too. What's up with that?

Second head apparently was delivered today, I'll keep you posted on how it turns out.
 
The single bolt with washer is because the Edelbrock castings require two long bolts as opposed to one for standard LA castings. When you break out the instructions for your second casting, read that part-it's in there. (should be positions 4 & 5)

They anticipate you'll use ARP bolts to fasten them on (why not? new heads-should use new head bolts), and the ARP kit only comes with 2 long bolts-1 per head.
 
txstang84 said:
The single bolt with washer is because the Edelbrock castings require two long bolts as opposed to one for standard LA castings. When you break out the instructions for your second casting, read that part-it's in there. (should be positions 4 & 5)

They anticipate you'll use ARP bolts to fasten them on (why not? new heads-should use new head bolts), and the ARP kit only comes with 2 long bolts-1 per head.
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Ah. Thanks for that.
 
So I have an update...and you guys will love this (and probably not be surprised one bit).

First of all, I just noticed this today as it's really faint. There is an "OK" mark written on the defective head:

20140403_181815.jpg


Interesting.

Secondly, I got my 2nd head today and looked it over real good. No visible casting defects. But due to my skepticism, I didn't like the way the valve seats looked. There are tooling marks/scratches on the side walls of some of the intake ports, just past the chamfers. See the pic below, you can see it where the discolored area is. I can't even pick it up with my fingernail. Then there are a bunch of little blemishes that I can't explain. You can see those as the light spots in the pic. The other head with the defective casting was so clean on all the valve seats, it made me question it.

fd6797a4-d3bd-447d-b05a-27fd1f801822.jpg


Thirdly, I called Edelbrock today. Seems their customer service is as good as the quality of their parts. Calling the main line, I get a woman who answers the phone "Edelbrock". I ask to speak to someone about defective parts and she says nothing, just puts me through to an automated dialing system. I punch some numbers and choose the closest option to what was given to me...tech support. Can't remember the guy's name but when I told him about the casting defect all I got was silence and then an "uh-huh". That's it. I commented about how it shouldn't have gotten through QC. Silence was the response. I go on to tell him about the other head with valve seat marks. He says it's a bare casting head and the valve seats need machined and that will all clean up. Makes sense to me, but I wanted to share here with people to get an honest opinion. Am I ok with the valve seats as best as can be seen from a pic?

Thanks everyone again for the feedback.
 
txstang84 said:
The single bolt with washer is because the Edelbrock castings require two long bolts as opposed to one for standard LA castings. When you break out the instructions for your second casting, read that part-it's in there. (should be positions 4 & 5)

They anticipate you'll use ARP bolts to fasten them on (why not? new heads-should use new head bolts), and the ARP kit only comes with 2 long bolts-1 per head.
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http://www.summitracing.com/parts/edl-8555/overview/make/dodge

edelbrock makes a head bolt kit for the rpm heads using arp bolts...fyi
 
Yeah, saw that yesterday when I looked up the Edelbrock kit spec'd by the instructions; but I'd wager a guess that a larger fraction of folks order the ARP kit sight unseen...Edelbrock apparently banks on it or they wouldn't include the longer bolt.
 
Seats look OK to me...and unless the machining mark is more than a few thousandths, it should clean up to where you'd never know it was there.

As far as their customer service...your description does sound like some lackluster performance.
 
Don't know if this will go over well, but take a picture of the defect, then post on their Facebook site. Don't say anything else, maybe except what you paid for it. How could that be slander and libelous?
 
I'm betting you'll get much better results with a simple return and description of the defect...if wherever they were ordered from gives two ***** about customer satisfaction, they'll likely just send a new casting as long as the one returned is in unused shape and the packaging isn't damaged.

Worst problem here? Some inconvenience and time lost...and unless you're racing for points or money, that's the least of your concerns.

And while I completely agree that this is frustrating (and it would be to me too), it's kinda overbearing to lose sight of the fact that **** happens, and even QC are often humans who miss stuff...
 
You bought a bare head. Expect to do the valve job - the seats are fine because your guy will cut them fresh.
 
moper said:
You bought a bare head. Expect to do the valve job - the seats are fine because your guy will cut them fresh.
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Yup. We're square there. Thanks. My first time with brand new heads so wasn't sure and wanted to make sure.

Bad cast head is packed up and arrangements made for its return.

I really wish I had nothing but good experiences to report about Edelbrock in this situation. What can I say? In the end I'm sure I'll be happy with the go-fast parts on.
 
Well, in the big picture - they sent a 2nd head and an RGA for the bad one. The second head is better. So all you really have is delay and stress, and people at Edelbrock who probably are not paid or trained to deal with end user complaints, getting you on thier phone. It could be worse. Like when Indy's guy says you somehow made the pushrods they sent the wrong length when the paperwork all said "B wedge" and they sent RB pushrods with the $3000 worth of head package you bought... that needed the valve job fixed and had metal shavings stuck in the assembly lube from the factory.
 
tml1138 said:
Thirdly, I called Edelbrock today. Seems their customer service is as good as the quality of their parts. Calling the main line, I get a woman who answers the phone "Edelbrock". I ask to speak to someone about defective parts and she says nothing, just puts me through to an automated dialing system. I punch some numbers and choose the closest option to what was given to me...tech support. Can't remember the guy's name but when I told him about the casting defect all I got was silence and then an "uh-huh". That's it. I commented about how it shouldn't have gotten through QC. Silence was the response. I go on to tell him about the other head with valve seat marks. He says it's a bare casting head and the valve seats need machined and that will all clean up. Makes sense to me, but I wanted to share here with people to get an honest opinion. Am I ok with the valve seats as best as can be seen from a pic?

Thanks everyone again for the feedback.
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You're going about this wrong.

Ask to talk to Vic Edelbrock. Start at the top (**** rolls down hill, not up). Let Vic know that you have a bad part and that there is a thread about it on a web site. Get the highest person on the ladder that you can to address this issue. If they won't let you talk to Vic, then tell them you want the guy just under him that reports to him.

I used to work with supplier quality for an OEM. Once the supplier quality guy called the quality manager concerning a problem and was told that he didn't have time to address his issue. The supplier quality guy immediately hung up and called his Plant Manager and told him that he had a quality issue with his parts and that his quality manager was not working with him.

The quality manager called the supplier quality guy back within a half hour (after the plant manager ripped his @ss) and then was kissing the supplier quality guy's @ss. Problem solved.

I learned from the supplier quality guy, that if the regular employees don't want to help you, go right to the top of the chain of command. :rambo:
 
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