[asphaltgambler]

When I was a teenager, doing mechanical work on the side a guy brought me a '67 Chevy van ( unibody ) the ol 250 / 6 was smoking, been over heated so much that it blew the head gasket between 3-4 cyl. He didn't have the money to replace it, I didn't have the place or tools to drop the engine out the bottom.

Upon disassembley - found the deck surface was ' flame' worn between 3/4 where those cyls where trading combustion process. Also #3 had severely scored wall. I pulled the piston / rods out, used JB weld to fill in deep crevis in cyl wall and on the deck surface between 3/4.

I let it sit 2 days, took an air body file to the deck, used a straight edge to check it. Then honed the cyls. I obtained 1 new piston and ring set, reused the rod bearings, installed new top end gaskets and... VIOLA !!

That thing ran for I know 3 more years and had zero blow- by. As others have said - good stuff!