In a message dated 26/05/2009 6:25:16 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:

        DITTO, Same story here  !

>>>>>I spent a bunch of time on the phone with Bob  talking about this
subject
as well, but I believe all of this fear and  loathing about the AMC
valves is due to a bad batch of these heads back  about 6 or 7 years
ago.  I have never had a failure like the one Bob  always warned me about
and I never changed the valves from the stock  ones.  Recently I had a
pair of AMC heads that I installed on an  engine about two years ago come
back into my possession (engine threw a  rod).  The heads had about 18k
miles on them.  I took the heads  to a machine shop to have them checked
and a valve job done before selling  the heads to a list member.  I asked
the machine shop about the  condition of the valve keepers, grooves on
the valve stems, etc.  He  said that he had inspected them and they were
like new condition and that  they valves themselves were also in like new
condition.  I can say  that I have never had an AMC head fail in 11 years
of installing  them.  I have never had one that I have sold to a customer
fail due to  a bad valve either.  Anything can fail if you abuse it, or
improperly  install it, or don't correctly adjust the valves, etc.
However I have never  found the stock AMC valves to have any issues.  If
you want to spend  extra money on "better" valves and install them only
to have them fail (I  have known this to happen) that is your choice.
However the stigma against  using the AMC heads out of the box is totally
unfounded as far as I am  concerned.<<<<<<

Cheers,

Frank  Condelli
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
'87 Westy & Lionel Trains (_Collection for sale_
(http://frankcondelli.com/trainsal.htm) )
_Frank Condelli &  Associates_ (http://frankcondelli.com/busindex.html)  -
Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley
_Vanagon Stainless Steel Exhaust  Systems_
(http://frankcondelli.com/exhaust.htm)
_BusFusion_ (http://www.busfusion.com/bfhome.htm)  a  VW Camper camping
event, Almonte, ON, June 11 ~ 14,  2009