head gasket

[KasaRyan at aol.com]

Ok - due to running way too long with too much advance or something else bad, 
I hope/pray that I now have a blown head gasket.  My engine is slightly down 
on power, gives off clouds of whitish smoke after running for a few minutes 
(which goes away later), and has been using water.  I sure hope it's not a 
cracked block or head!  My question is this . . . what can I do to prevent 
this in the future!  I am using edelbrock aluminum heads, have arp bolts 
torqued to 75ftlb, using felpro gasket for aluminum heads and run a 160 
thermostat which maintains 159.4F in the summer.  I do lean on it good at 
least once a day though. 

Also, what does detonation sound like with aluminum heads, perhaps I dont 
know.  Is it more like a water rushing sound than the rattle tink I am used 
to?  (I get a noise like that at part throttle/hgih map, but get no knock 
counts.  If I turn the timing up , I will get knock counts but no audible 
detonation.  If I turn the timing up even more, I can get audible detonation 
in the rattle-tink form.  I am running 34 degrees total at WOT by 3600, and 
never less than 15 anywhere.  cruise from 20-55kpa at 2000 is 44 deg.  47 deg 
at 2400.  How are these numbers compared to what others are running with al 
heads.  Yes I know that every engine is different, but small block chevys are 
preety much a known quality.  Am I in the ballpark here or what?  I know you 
want 36-38 at wot on iron heads, and more initial and less total with 
aluminum heads.

Thanks for listening to my electroyappin!
Ryan Hampl - a K-State Grad!    kasaryan at aol.com
139 Hoover Ct.                  Controls Engineer (tubes rule!)  
Salina, KS  67401               97 B12 / 86 V65 / 93chevy truck EFI 383
phone  (785) 825 5831           I'M ALWAYS FIRST TO THE GROCERY STORE!
http://hometown.aol.com/kasaryan/myhomepage/hotspot.html
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