[Ed Wright]

Was there some kind of confrontation when told it failed?

There was mention of cooling the heads before measuring. Why not hook up your chiller before tearing it down? At least run cool water through it?
When I raced a '56 Chevy, it was so easy to work on, and I was about 45 years younger, I thought nothing of handing over a cylinder head too warm to comfortably handle. I was lucky enough to pass every tear down.
Today I would hook up my chiller before taking this thing I have now apart. It's hard enough to work on without being hot, especially for a very old guy.