2 years ago, I was working in the oil fields of North Dakota. I made a promise to a friend who needed a change in order to make a good living that if he applied and was hired, I would give him $1500 to cover the first months' bills, buy a plane ticket and loan him the Montero for orientation (personal transportation was required while at the HQ 4 hours from our yard). The morning he was coming in town, I got off work (night shift) and drove to Minot to pick him up from the airport. 15 minutes after leaving Stanley, ND, the engine began missing... running on 3 cylinders. I pulled over and quickly diagnosed it as a blown HG or head. I had no choice; I had to push forward. The closest rental car company was in Minot, I figured I could (hopefully) make the trip, rent a car, then pick him up, drag it back home with someone's truck and my tow bar and get it going in time for him to head down to Belfield for orientation. It was 12* outside, so walking back to Stanley to try and make any other arrangements was also out of the question.
I didn't make it. Within 20 miles, it was pushing the water out the exhaust faster than it could be filled. In Berthold, ND, I made the decision to stop adding water, as it was fruitless. I hoped I could make the last 25 miles in like that, but it punched a rod through the block between Burlington and Minot, only 12 miles from town.
So yeah... Everything is likely toast. Hole in block, scored cylinders, broken pistons, broken rods, everything severely heat-weakened. The cam *might* be salvageable, but probably not worth it at this point. The header is still good, the intake is probably good, the Weber 32/36 kit is good.
