Head Gasket Going? I need your imput (long)

I think I've developed a problem with my 72. The trip to knotts was it was running good. But pulling into the show it started to overheat slightly (the first time ever that it happened). ON the trip back to Fontana and the rest of the weekend it didn't have any further problem overheating.

On the trip back from Knotts I noticed hint an occasional puff of white at about 2.5-3k RPM.

I pulled off just past Indio to check and there was no hint of white smoke at idle. But there was a lil bit of what seemed like water residue on the DS part of the rear bumper. Not much but like some one misted that side of the bumper lightly with a water bottle. I did a couple other quick checks, and the engine sounded normal. So I went on home but babying it, and it made it with no further problems.

I let it sit since then because of a lack of time to work or clean it up. That is until this last weekend. I cleaned the car and was going to drive it last Saturday to a meeting i had, halfway down the block I noticed a light cloud of white smoke and a distinctive smell of oil.

I turned around and pulled into the driveway and popped the hood. Nothing was leaking on the headers (as much as i could tell) and the engine sounded normal.

I pulled the radiator cap (yes i checked the temperature of the hose first) and saw that the radiator was only half full (it was totally full on the trip back from knotts. So I shut her down, filled her back up with 50/50 mix. I checked the oil and there seemed to be no anti-freeze residue by visual inspection or by taste. So i fire her back up to notice that there is some bubling in the coolant. I think that it's more so than normal, but not foaming. It's a consistant bubbling kinda like a sitting glass of soda.

I am fearing a leaking head gasket, perhaps around one of the bolts? I haven't had time to mess with it since, but what do you guys/gals think? Am I correct or should I do other checks like pulling the spark plugs and a compression check? Thanks for you input and suggestions!
 
:( it's looks like time to replace the head gaskets.
If you have or can borrow a leakdown tester it will help pinpoint the leak.
your next problem will be a coolant purge when you shut it off as the leak gets worse, Or coolant in the oil. :nonono:

The bubbling in the coolant is pointing towards a leak around the chambers.
It would be best to find it before it does some major damage.

PB
 
Agreed from what you've stated.
Put a few psi of shop air pressure in each cylinder through the plug hole and see if the bubbles increase.....help confirm and find the cylinder(s) leaking
 
Yep sounds about right. Don't want to scared you, but I wouldn't drive it anymore. If the gasket gets bad enough, you can leak enough coolant into the cylinder to bend a rod the next time you go to start it.