popping out front is usually due to timing or lean mixture.

Dat240z71,

I am not meaning to step on anyone's toes.  but I have some bases trouble shooting questions, bear with me if you can. My style of trouble shooting is to start with the simple thing first. So, here goes.

When the engine was FRIST assembled, did you do the work? Have you that type of work before?  Did you tap the bolt threads? Did you use NEW bolts?  How long  (I'm looking for number of hrs.) did the engine run before you discovered the head gasket issue? How did you determine the problem was in the head gasket before you disassembled the motor? What about the head gasket was bad? Was all the head bolts torqued properly and to the correct specs? If, there was no clear damage (broken/cracked/split/,etc.) to the head gasket, did you inspect the valve seats for cracks?

I'll stop for now and give you time to answer these questions.

Ed Brock - gen.mgr.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Brock Industrial, Inc.