Cylinder head help & other questions - kinda long

[wasserbox@yahoo.com (Mark Mages)]

Well - I figured out what I think was the problem with
my car getting too hot, then not running at all

Incorrect cylinder head gasket.

1st off - it is an 84 8v.  The cyl head has a big H
stamped on it.

The one P'man sent me looks correct on first glance,
but when I pulled the head (60/60/80/80 compression) I
found that the holes in the head and the holes in the
block don't match the holes in the gasket.  I have
semi-triangular and crescent shaped holes around the
cylinders and the valves, and the gasket has all round
holes that are smaller than the holes in the engine. 
I am guessing that these are the oil air and coolant
circuation holes, and the restriction is what was
causing it to not run.  PLEASE correct me if I am
wrong, but the gasket should match pretty much exactly
all the holes on the block and in the cyl head, right?

Now - the guy at the shop told me to check for burnt
piston rings by leveling the pistons and pouring
solvent down the cylinders.  He said that it should
take 2.5 to 3 hours for it to drain through the engine
if the rings are good.  What kind of solvent should I
use?  Is acetone too much?  Should I pull the pan and
oil pump, or will they be all right if I leave them
in?

How do I tell if my cylinder head valves are burnt? 
there is carbon on the bottom of the head, but it
doesn't look like anything is especially damaged. 
Should I disassemble it?  Anything in particular to
look for?  Is there any way to pressure test the
cyinder head to see how much compression I am losing
in there?

One other thing - TDC is with the 1 & 4 pistons fully
raised, not 2& 3 right?  2& 3 would be TDC on the
exhaust stroke....

That's it for the moment.  Thanks!

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