An update to bring this back to the top.
Got the water pump on, balancer on, intake off, looked at the back wall on the block and yup, not a good seal.
Took the valve covers off and the passenger side was leaking at the back too, cork gaskets? Really? They were the 'good' ones though, the ones with the metal ring in the bolt holes.
The things you discover when tearing down an engine,
Intake leak - expected
Valve cover leak - unexpected but not surprised
Spark plug loose - WHAT? Oh and not just one, no, ALL of them!! Not even finger tight, now that was not expected and very surprising, even for me.
On to removing the rocker arms, push rods and the right header, yeh, about that header, I don't remember, and it was several years ago, needing to remove the X brace to get it out, take off the starter, yes, jack up the engine, yes but not the brace but this time it had to come off,
. The front half had to come off to clean up the lower radiator support anyway so whats a couple more nuts and bolts.
A funny thing happened when removing the H pipe, when I reached back under the car to retrieve the H pipe I (unknowingly) bumped the pipe to the left muffler (it's behind me) hearing a metallic thud I froze expecting to be crushed, ahhh, the exhaust on the left side is now laying on the rear end housing and the garage floor.
Add some rubber exhaust hangers to the list, I don't have any wire clothes hangers anymore.
No pics, ya'll know what tearing things apart looks like, just boring rhetoric about leaking gaskets, loose plugs and getting the begeezus scared outta me when the exhaust pipe falls off!
Now on to the left header, yeh, I think that will be tomorrow, unless the 'girl on the other side of the couch' finds some mind numbing thing to do like yard work or a trip to walmart/lowesdepo. Fun stuff you know.