Starting my engine build

[davepl]

Originally Posted by Mrturner1

I just had a gut wrenching thought...what if it's a head gasket.

Nah, that'd suck, but it's only time (and gaskets), not the end of the world.

When it's cold, start it up and look into the filler neck of the rad (obviously don't take the cap off a hot or warm engine). If you see a steady stream of new bubbles, almost foamy, then I'd worry.

You'd need a leakdown tester to know for sure, a compression test won't find anything but a huge leak.

With a leakdown tester you'd hear the air with your stethoscope in the radiator, meaning combustion -> coolant leak.

That's your worst case. Odds are its something simpler.

I assume you followed proper torque sequence and pattern and all of that when torquing down the heads? Do you gaskets require a re-torque? Some types do, some don't.