One of my favorite things is to start the day with a simple inquiry from a PERA member. Not long ago I had one such day and the question was, "Will cylinder head casting number 24507487 interchange for 10218170 on a 3.4L Chevrolet engine application? Our cylinder head department has compared the two and they appear identical."

The research information for SourcePERA indicated cylinder head casting 10218170 began in model year 1996 and was used through 2000. That cylinder head casting 24507487 came on the scene in late model year 1999 and the information to this point was simply, "Yes, they do interchange."

That was when it struck me: Nothing is EVER that simple anymore! So some further in-depth research began.

Serious networking with many others and putting hands on the two cylinder heads began. Looking at the two castings in question, putting them side-by-side, studying the intricacies of each one resulted in agreeing with the original assumption that they are, in fact, the same.

Next we determined whether both the cylinder head assemblies