[mazdaverx7]

As most of you guys know, I have been redoing the top end on my 86. I replaced a lot of large parts to include:

-cylinder head
-water pump
-belts
-all top end gaskets
-balance and crankshaft seals
-plugs
-cam box, cam, and seals
-thermostat and o-ring

I got it all together last night and got it started. It ran and idled well for a little bit. Got a couple of coolant leaks buttoned up on the block off plate on the water pump. Decided to let it idle a little longer and warm up as I was bleeding the cooling system. I continually checked the coolant temp gauge and it got as high as 3/4 during the bleeding cycle but the engine was turned off when I saw that. At that time I noticed that the cooling fans were not kicking on. I let it cool down for a little bit and started it again. As I was letting the engine idle I noticed that white smoke began coming from the exhaust and the engine began to stumble a little. I backed the car out of the garage and the smoke amount increased. I thought maybe it was just burning coolant off the inside of the exhaust. Took it up the road and it filled the roadway with clouds of white smoke. Temp gauge was half way during the drive and with the amount of white smoke bellowing from the car I decided it was time to return to the garage. I parked it and felt so dejected and disappointed. I followed every Clark's Garage procedure for install. Followed all torque settings, used all high quality parts, spent hours cleaning and making sure everything was perfect. for install. I went to bed last night and decided to sleep on it. I haven't ran a compression test yet or pulled any of the plugs to see if they are wet. I'm assuming that something with the head sealing is wrong. The gasket is not sealing properly I suppose. It almost seemed as if the coolant was being slightly pressurized by the compression from the engine. It took forever to bleed and didn't seem as though it was bled completely. Its just frustrating when I have tried so hard and spent so much time and money to make the car right. Makes me wonder where I went wrong. Any input would be greatly appreciated. In the mean time I will run a compression test and see what I have.