I got only this to add...
I had a weird instance back in 95 w/ a 460 that I learned about nitrous usage on. I had been beating on it for several instances before, running it on 93 octane, w/ 37 degrees timing, w/ a two staged nitrous system (two stacked super power shot plates,...set to the biggest power level). The day I took it to the track, It would suck the lower radiator hose shut when you winged the throttle.
But I went anyway.
The first test pass,...as soon as I hit the button for the second stage, it blew a freeze plug (an actual, pressed in steel freeze plug) antifreeze blew out under the tires, I almost crashed, and I completely fouled the track w/ coolant.
I had one of my friends go get me an expandable freeze plug from AZ, and I installed it at the track. Refilled the radiator, and waited till my match race got there.
The next time out, and during the race, the car again blew another steel freeze plug, and dumped water under the tires. I lost control, and hit the wall. Car was trashed.
I later learned that I was somehow lifting the head from detonation and was pressurizing the water jacket. The fact that the car was sucking the lower radiator hose shut had to mean that there was also some path for antifreeze to enter the chamber, even when free revved. That had to also mean that there was something wrong even before freeze plug incident....but there was no smoke or smell that clued me into that.
That was my "hard lesson" where I learned about Octane, Timing, detonation, and compromised head gaskets.