With as many heads as we do per year, we get to observe many improvised solutions in the way of packaging. Some of these solutions work out well, while others do not. To help customers avoid the major pitfalls we've seen, we're offering the following suggestions based on our experience shipping cylinder heads and related components.

This is the worst example of packaging we have yet seen. An undisclosed shipping firm decided the original packaging was unfit for transport and then used this empty cardboard box instead. This is bad enough in itself, but when you realize there were also eight loose valve springs, two sheets of paper notes and a check inclosed, the matter becomes more serious.

We start by first covering all openings in the head with masking tape before sealing it in bubble wrap.

The best way to ship a head, is to double box it. We start by placing the bubble-wrapped head in a small box.

Any excess space within that box is filled with packing paper before the box is taped closed.

This inner box will help protect the head and also adds bulk which will resist shifting later.

The next step is to line the bottom of our outer box with packing paper before placing the first box inside. In this photo you can see that we doubled up our outer box as well. This helps keep the head or other items from puncturing the outside of the box. Copious amounts of packing paper are used to tightly pack the inner box before the outer box is closed up and taped. We wrap tape completely around the box along each side to ensure it does not come loose.

Puncture marks or tears in the cardboard exterior must be taped over for acceptance by most shipping companies.

While we've seen many other ways of shipping cylinder heads, the method above is the best we have yet seen from all standpoints. We do not recommend styrofoam peanut packing as it tends to allow heavy items like cylinder heads to shift inside the box. It is not uncommon for heads to be poking out the sides of boxes which were filled with styrofoam peanuts! Expandable foam packing systems are very secure, but do not lend themselves to easy return shipping and we discourage their use.

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