Ok I think that is a good plan. I was hoping to take the whole thing home, clean it up and test run before sinking any more money into it. I am guessing the head gasket would be toast once I pulled the head off?.
I am a little concerned about whether the shop that put the 848 head on there actually drilled out the extra water holes. If not we may have some cracking from overheating.
Mike B: that is interesting info on the "M". I did a quick search and found nothing on this facility. More info from others on that would be appreciated. Thanks.