Got my ducks in a row, found a deal on some parts and pulled the trigger on a few goodies. You can probably guess what I got, but I'll wait until they're in my hand to say for sure :P
Head came off tonight. 4 hours flat, not bad for a computer dork and the fact that you have to strip the whole side of the engine down to get the timing cover off this thing. I still LOVE the 4b11's timing/oiling design over the 4G63, it is just simple.
Head gasket is clean as a whistle! I think the fact that the open-deck has less surface area between the head and the block lends to less likely headgasket issues, less hydrolic pressure to 'jack' the two apart. Seriously I'll hardly have to clean the block, surface, it's mint.
Bottom end is frickin MINT except for this carbon build-up. Yuck. But, walls are beautiful and pistons are in great shape otherwise!
more:
more build-up in the head too, maybe this is part of what's wrong. Doesn't seem to lend to the clearance problem I came across but it sure could help explain the leakdown results I had.
Day off tomorrow, gonna tear down the head and get it to the machine shop...then pray there are no complications or valve tappets miss-sized.