My old one had a popped headgasket that was leaking ONLY compression. Idling and starting you could hear the cylinder forcing its compression into the engine bay.
It had been that way since a few weeks after I got the truck. For a few hundred bucks I got this engine. I've got a few minor things to button up on it like the NEW valve cover gasket that is leaking and a couple return line hats that are as well, then that's it.(Good thing I bought some Viton O-rings from Russ) Before I dropped this thing in there I took the time, and the cash, to go ahead and put a few new gaskets in there. New rear main, new VC gaskets and I resealed the oil cooler. (BIG thanks to Corey for that writeup) It's great to have an IDI that doesn't sound embarrassing.
Like I said earlier, I asked the welding instructor about him cutting a hole to my cowl for me and he said no problem, that will hopefully happen today. I've been wanting to do this mod for awhile and hoping it will give me the results I want.