quote:No, I haven't thought of that. With only 18,000 miles I hoped it wouldn't be an issue.
I would be concerned that the nylon teeth on the cam sprocket would be getting brittle.
In reference to the pinging, have you checked to see if the outer ring of the harmonic balancer has slipped? Have you had to periodically adjust the initial timing? If so, then the outer ring may have rotated (slipped).
We're stuck with 91 octane pump gas (and who knows what's really in it), and I have never had any pinging from my engine. I have the same '71 engine as you.
quote:No, but I can. Where should I measure those temps and what numbers should I expect of a normal engine temp?
Check the temps at the inlet and the outlet of the radiator with the engine running. Also check at the t-stat housing and water pump. Temp readings should be slightly lower than actual coolant temp.
quote:Clearly my overflow tank is too full, but that is just an environmental issue, right? I won't impact the engine temp the way a too-empty tank would.
Yes and yes.
quote:No, I didn't. I am not getting any leaks at the gasket, nor am I seeing any coolant in the oil. What indicators should I expect if the torquing was an issue?
It's possible that there may never be a problem. Indicators would be combustion gasses entering the cooling system; or coolant leaking into the cylinder; or the head gasket blown between cylinders.
IMHO, head gaskets should always be retorqued after the initial heat cycle. The head gaskets that I used were the ones that don't require retorquing. I had sequence and step torqued the head bolts to the 105 ft lbs torque spec. After the heat cycle, I checked the torque and it had dropped to 85 ft lbs.
YMMV
John