Headaches

[Steve Berg]

Hi Steve.  I would also check the Block for being flat and no cracks and any corrosion on water jacket holes as the gasket seals between two faces not just the head,
Torque the head down in 5lb increments until you get to the required setting

Thanks Colin.
I am aware of a small crack between the central stud and its ajacent water jacket hole and also a short crack propagation from the hole in the direction of the valves. I was hoping this would not be too much of a gamble and that the head gasket would seal these. The alternative would be a new block, cylinders, pistons ............. There is a crack above the side water manifold but this has given no trouble so far.
I'll check again for corrosion and flatness.
At the moment I'm rather loath to removing the engine from the chassis and dismantling it further but maybe I should bite the bullet and give myself a good project for the winter months.