alright, so i got the 5.3 heads castin #706. they are everything that i paid for, nothing is missing. HOWEVER. the surface in which the valve cover need to rest is damaged in a few place on each head. there is a gouge on each of them and a few dings here and there too. the gasket should take care of most of this but im afraid of a leak. here are some pictures of what im talkin about....




now i knwo i get what i paid for, (175$) but was led to believe they were from a 1000 mile vehicle and were in good condition. are these dings something i should be worried about? im going to get them surface milled .030 over and im sure i could have them smooth down the top a little but its something i wasnt expecting. here are some pictures of the rest of the heads. i know they are dirty so what should i use to clean them?









and one other thing that kinda concerned me... its where the header would meet up but not on the gasket area

 

Nice feet

Kinda crappy the way they did you but they arent too bad. Carb cleaner will clean them right up.

 

so you think the gasket on the valve covers will hold up fine or should i try for a refund and hope that i can find a new set for the same price? you think and machine shop, while milling the base, could smooth off the top?

 

I didn't know GM made shoes......

 

QUALITY INPUT PLEASE haha yes i have hairy feet but ive been told they are pretty AND im sorry my camera sucks close up ha ha

 

You should have contacted me I got the same for sale mine are much cleaner. Gasket will take care of the "imperfections"...lol

 

Sucks when seller's mis-represent their goods but you're probably going to be good after the machine work and clean up.

I thought I was watching "Lord of the Rings IV" for a moment.. Just kidding man!

 

That's pretty typical of used cores. We've seem much worse
Not sure what you paid for them, but you might contact the seller and tell them your concerned about the chunks in the valve cover rail. That's not a good thing to have leaking especially when you trying to fix an oiling problem with your original heads.

Good luck.

Richard

 

i only paid 175$ for them. the issue has pretty much been resolved, i figured that i wouldnt be able to find something like this with this low mileage for this price. im already having them milled .030 over and ill just have the machine shop smooth off the top as well. glad to hear the gasket will take care of it. the seller ordered these heads, and while they were being shipped decided he wanted some LS6 heads so when these arrived he opened the box, quick glance then but them back up for sale. im sure he just advertised what was advertised to him but im glad to hear things should be ok. the only oil problem im having is with the valve seals so this should fix the problem. i wouldnt hesitate to buy from this guy again. quick shipping and quick replies.

 

Kinda tough to tell from the pics, but it looks like you should be OK. You can smooth out any bits of the gouges that stick up with some emery cloth, and if the valve cover gaskets can't compensate for the indents of the gouges, a little dab of RTV should fix you up...not the prettiest or most professional fix, but effective when necessary.