[rodneym]

In fairness to all parties, we sometimes blur the lines between warranty-less 'race' parts and what we're used to (daily drivers that get 200,000 miles, no sweat).

How could a builder say to a supplier, "Your part broke, which caused $XX,XXX of damages. Pay me." No parts would get made and no engines would get built.

It's how the builder responds to these issues. Period. Builder and customer are a team, not adversaries.

Would I trust Keith to build me a badass FE? You bet.
Would I trust anybody to build me a new SOHC? Nope. (Perhaps a different topic).
Did Keith handle this well? No.
Could damage have been more patient and understanding. Tough one. Maybe.