Ok- I kinda thought about that. The thing that gives me hope its NOT the head gasket is the coolant is clean and green. Wouldn’t it be oily and/or smell of exhaust gas?
And that leads into Knuckles post- yes Knuckles I’m very handy. In my younger days, I had a 70 GTO with a 455HO that spun a rod bearing and I rebuilt the engine (totalled it a few months later-I was 19-no surprise, huh?). I’d prefer to do it myself, but the thing is I currently don’t have a garage and my 2nd vehicle is brokedick in Colorado. I’m moving in July, so maybe I’ll find a place that’ll work for ripping an engine apart.
Ok- Even though R&R a thermostat and/or pull a radiator isn’t a big job, the car needs a timing belt (so might as well do water pump), spark plugs (and they ain’t easy to get to without some teardown), and then there’s Murphy laughing when I discover it IS a blown head gasket. So What I’m gettin at is that I’m to damn old to be a shade-tree mechanic! Call me a pussy, but I need a garage.