I’ve had numerous sets of Stealth heads come through the shop over the years, ever since they were first available.
The only difference in parts included on them that Ive noticed since the beginning is the locks(keepers).
It’s been quite a few years now that they have come with the heat treated stamped locks(green colored).

For several years getting them with Comp retainers and 10* locks was an additional cost option.

One thing I did notice, appearance wise, on the last 3 sets I had come thru the shop was they are no longer black oxide coating the retainers and spring cups. They are now natural steel colored.
They don’t look any different other than the color.

A set I had here a few months ago had a little machining issue.
The holes in the casting for the pushrods are machined from both the bottom and the top.
This one set had the part of the operation that’s done from the top...... not finished.

I had a guy ask me to help find his engine problem, turned out the Valve seat had fallen out & chewed the head.. So I had them stripped & a reweld around the chewed seat & had a new seat installed. I discussed with a Heat Treatment expert about what I should do with the alloy, he checked them with some fancy hardness tester & told me they were now trash. His verdict was the heads were made of the same junk alloy counterfeit aircraft parts are made from. What ever the alloy is, it goes seriously soft with high heat & does not respond to tempering with heat treatment. That kind defeats the advantage alloy heads have for repair work. Anyway I have a Stealth door stop in my shed these days.

http://www.performance-world.com/Mopar-Cylinder-Heads-s/2091.htm
Are these just another variant?

I'd would either get a second opinion on that or have my machinist cut it for a new seat. If he's any good he'll know as soon as the cutter makes contact whether your heat treat "expert" is full of it or not.

Kevin

Because we welded a circumference around where the old seat was, the material was the rod (4340?) which was harder than the alloy casting. The casting where the fire ring on the headgasket seats was the soft point as the chamber had some extra fill put in this area so it could be ground back to look like it did originally I had done all the work only to see his test point out the soft zone next to the weld. His call was it'll always blow head gaskets because of this. His son was a serious racer so i trust his call on this.

I'm guessing you meant E4043 rod? This is a Stealth head we are talking about? Did you contact 440 Source and talk to them?

I call BS on a crap alloy. The majority of the cylinder heads built in the US use offshore cast blanks, Even Eddy heads with their made in USA use a offshore casting blank cause the USA foundry laws are very strict in California specifically. now I was told all this by a very good engine guy out of Florida, RIP Dan...

You said the area tested soft. Soft compared to what exactly? What value did it test to? A356 with a T6 heat treat should be a 70 Brinell.

His comments about Chinese knockoff aircraft parts make me wonder if he has a Chinesium bias because Stealth heads are cast from A356 just like Edelbrocks are so does that mean you can't repair an RPM head either?

I just don't buy the it will always blow a head gasket there story. Under certain circumstances perhaps like 15:1 compression or too much timing with 25 lbs of boost but I'd bet if the gasket gets compressed when torqued properly, it ain't going anywhere on any build where that head is a proper choice.

Kevin

Well you had them checked out and that gives you piece of mind. As said it depends on how you use them as to how much work they might need before you use them but it seems many have bolted them right on very mild engines and been ok. Ron