Blew a head gasket, what parts am I gonna need?

I figure I need intake gasket/valley pan, valve cover and of course head gaskets. What am I missing? I need to get this into and out of the shop quickly so I don't want to get hung up waiting for parts in the middle of it.

It's my '89 crew cab, everything is stock far as I know.

Bare minimum from your comments + new exhaust manifold gaskets and return line kit.

My personal engines. I do everything you said + what I added above + studs, IP + injectors if >100k since last change, thermostat and water pump if they haven’t been changed recently

I'd have the heads gone through minimum. That will likely take you a few weeks unfortunately, unless you get some remans ready to go. IMO the worst thing you could have happen is slap gaskets in it and blow it again because you were in a hurry.

Do it once, do it right.

This is my daily driver and I kinda need it running, so I really am in a hurry. The machine shop can't do anything more than put the heads on a belt sander to clean'em up, so if they're significantly warped, he can't do much. I guess he'd need a surface grinder to actually flatten them? Apparently he doesn't have one.

At least this shop has seen these old diesels before.

nelstomlinson said:

At least this shop has seen these old diesels before.

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That in itself is a HUGE bonus these days.

Haven't found a shop I trust in PA to machine an idi. Heads warp and crack because of overheating. If I owned the truck awhile and know it wasnt overheated I'm not going to send it to a machine shop. Outside of planing, everything else you can do yourself except maybe the guides. Springs, lap, new seals, springs. I wouldnt call it not doing it right because you didnt machine it. Basic machine tools and you can measure it yourself.

you can try to create a basic comprehensive list for what you will need for a headgasket job.
but the fact is, you will never compile an accureate list until the heads are off and you know what the real deal is.
in my travels, ive done alot of this, and i find it much easier to have a engine on a stand ready to go and simply swap it.
that way you dont have a project in parts for weeks waiting on a part.

If you ever tow or have over heating issues then do the 6.9 cooling mod. It's just putting a hole in the plug on the gasket corners to allow coolant to flow there too. The hole was OEM on 6.9 and plugged on 7.3 for emissions, apparently.
This is why all the "help, I'm overheating!" threads are from 7.3 owners.

I've towed some pretty big stuff with this, and never had a cooling issue. We don't have a lot of hot days up here. I'd like to do that cooling mod anyway, but I'd need a hi-res photo with circles and arrows to point the way. I bet there's photos on here, but I haven't found'em yet.

My eventual goal is to have a rebuilt engine on a stand ready to drop in, but I'm not there yet. Maybe next year I'll get there.

In the mean time I need to get this beast back on the road ASAP, and I know very well if I start doing extra stuff "while I'm in there" this will turn into a multi-year project like the '94 did. I lost momentum on that one, and it's been a couple years since I made progress. I have way too many projects, and I need to be careful not to start more. If I had finished that '94, I wouldn't have to rush this one...

nelstomlinson said:

I've towed some pretty big stuff with this, and never had a cooling issue. We don't have a lot of hot days up here.

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nelstomlinson said:

I'd like to do that cooling mod anyway, but I'd need a hi-res photo with circles and arrows to point the way.

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nelstomlinson said:

My eventual goal is to have a rebuilt engine on a stand ready to drop in, but I'm not there yet. Maybe next year I'll get there.

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nelstomlinson said:

In the mean time I need to get this beast back on the road ASAP, and I know very well if I start doing extra stuff "while I'm in there" this will turn into a multi-year project like the '94 did.

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Adding all of this together, I think that maybe you don't even need to do the cooling mod at this time. If you have everything that you need right now and are ready to start working on it immediately, then maybe don't even bother with the mod at this time. If you're not ready, though, then now would be the time.

Be sure to get some good silicone sealer for the oil pan, etc.