A couple of years ago I was having an overheating problem with the 216 of my 1952 1/2 ton. The mechanic said there was exhaust gas in the coolant. I removed the head and sent it to a machine shop. They didn't find any cracks and milled a few thousandths off. I took the radiator to a shop and had it cleaned out. They fixed a couple small leaks. After I reinstalled the head ( with a new head gasket) I back flushed the block. That seemed to fix the problem until a few weeks ago. It doesn't overheat at highway speeds, but when it's idling the temperature gauge starts to move up.
I had the test redone that indicates there is exhaust gas in the coolant again. My question is: is there any point in trying to tighten up the head bolts without replacing the head gasket?
