Pelican Parts Forums - Engine Rebuild Question

I have a car with a seized engine. Rod bearings. I purchased an '87 engine but #4 intake leaks so I'm exchanging it. The engine the breaker has also has a leak but it's slight and at #2. :( It's an '88. My car is an '85 (early). Yes I know about the DME and required changes.

My question is whether I should accept the '88 engine, pull the head and have it checked / repaired or wait for another engine from the wrecking yard. The other option is to keep the '87 engine and have the head checked and repaired. The bad thing about that one is that there was coolant in the intake plenum for #4 when I got it. Big red flag. IMO I should go for the '88 as they are comparatively rare. There will be added cost in having the head "done".

If the head is bad, could the case be bad too? The '87 engine turns over and "feels" fine. The '88 would be an improvement as it has 158 bhp vs. the '87 with only 147. Is the head on the '88 special or is the compression increase solely achieved by changing the stroke? How'd Porsche get more compression in the '88?

I bought this car for $4,000 and nearly everything worked. The rod bearings let go after an autocross and it's going to turn into an $8,000 car before all this is settled. Bummer. But then I'll have a "known commodity" to use as a driver for a few years.