fixed VANOS w/Beisan's...perfect..est drive... half way through blew head gasket??

[RobPatt]

Valve cover gasket *could* explain the spark plug well but not the coolant getting into the oil. Have you found a reputable shop yet?

Yes.. little no advertising place tucked way back on a dead end side street in old part of Biloxi.
Guy is a one man shop.. mid-late 20s... even looks german. has e30s everywhere, some perfectly cherry built... some turbo'd... some trashed... he bulds custom maps with megasquirt.. etc etc... and in his warehouse is an RV which I think he lives in. I'd say it's his life and passion.

So after a really sweet tour of his shop and projects.. we're nowhere. He sees no evidence on the head or gasket.
If I can pull the cams tomorrow I'll take to a machine shop he recommended for some type of dye pressure test he recommended.
Also tonight I'm going to really REALLY check the cylinder walls.. front for water pump clues... etc. etc for clues.

off to pull cams.

THIS video seems REALLY good to pull the cams: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRnqy-7dT28

But I'm going to review the Pelican Parts article too... and use whicver seems less error prone. (wish me luck)
*edit... they're the same... going for it, except I'm home alone for a while... clean some parts and do it later.