Genuine or after market head?

Greeting Hiace fans
I'm running a 1990 3L 4x4
just blew up my 1 year old reco engine, by, I hate to admit this, not twisting the raditor cap on properly
DOH!
anyway...I'm pricing up new heads and Dodsons over the Nth Shore do a brand new aftermarket head complete for less than a grand $nz
Anyone out there tried them?
apparently they have fitted nearly 180 such heads, only having 1 problem
Cheers B

There are lots of cheap Chinese copies flooding the World. Some good most bad. Last a year and then dies valve seats worn cracks etc. etc..

Go for aToyota head is my recommendation.

I have fitted a few of these aftermarket heads and OE heads to different models of toyota's and have'nt had any problems with the aftermarket option,one customer had a surf which he used for work every day and its been on now for 4 years.

I fitted a head from 'Kiwi Cylinder heads' about a year ago after the thumbs up from my mechanic after he's been using them for a few years, and it's been good. Looks like they sell in Aus too. www.kiwicylinderheads.com

I have just got a Genuine one after the big toss up, I asked many people and most came to the result that a Toyota head would be better. I plan to keep the van so I want something that will last. The head is currently getting a port & polish to allow it to flow a bit better (more power and torque for towing). And if you compare the gaskets to the head and the manifolds you will soon see there is a lot of head work needing to be done... Bottom line is you are paying for quality and a good warranty at the end of the day. If you like cheap fixes, go aftermarket. Want a decent fix... then Toyota.

Hi Elusive. I would ordinarily agree with you completely apart from the point that the problems with these heads is in fact because its a factory Toyota head. These original heads are very well known to have this problem. So much so that when I enquired at my local engineering firm Suvics (they do the valve and cam conversion to aftermarket heads) about how many of these they get in, his reply was quote "bread and butter". I notice you talk about towing also. I tow a 1 tonne boat but have had to do a few mods to keep temps under control. I hope this info is useful for you and others. These vans overheat easily as the main radiator is not in good flow. The auto trans intercooler is in the 'flow entry to engine' tank (right side) of the main radiator and heats engine coolant just before it go's into the engine, so I’ve added a big air trans cooler to the front to cool the trans fluid BEFORE it enters the radiator tank intercooler. The only place it fits is partly behind the number plate (which I just re-position to one side when towing) I have added fluid (silicon) to, and re-timed the viscous coupling bi-metallic spring to bring in the fan at earlier temps. Also removed the black plastic mouldings in the front of the van which divert air flow away from the main radiator. A MUST is an aftermarket temp gauge, all modern temp gauge's are "dampened" to only move when temps are really high. By the time it shoots up once over 110 in just a few seconds, it's often not noticed and a cooked engine is next. By the way, if you get over 110 dc, hit the heater fan and consider pulling over. These are the temps that contribute to cracking by expanding the alloy heads beyond normal tolerances, this expansion and cooling contraction is one of the the weakening causes, then they crack just like any metal through metal fatigue. Being Jap domestic vehicles, 7 seater comfort around Tokyo city is the design brief for Toyota, they are just not designed to hall the family and boat in the middle of a kiwi summer up our long steep hills, unlike the NZ domestic Prado for example which has the same engine but much better cooling! After all this modifying incl full removal, cleaning of both radiators and complete coolant system flush, my gauge still hits 109 on the Taupo rd at points with the fan roaring!. Hope this info helps you to stay trouble free. Bottom line, do not overheat these engines! Cheers. Rich.