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That really sux Mark.

Did you happen to pressure test the heads prior to installing, or pressure test the assembled engine?

I did check the heads.....but I didn't re-check after all the final cleanup. I must heave opened a weld line, aluminum tends not to fuse all the way through line steel does does roll a bead back which is perfect for making it look welded when it's not.

The good news is everything else seems fine so if this is the worst of it I pull the head and weld the hole and have a 2-3 week delay and it will be running.

Oh man, you know we are going to have a early spring so hurry, cause mulch season is a coming.

I mulched in the fall for just this situation

That's why you're da man!

What about a borescope and UV dye? Blacklights are cheap, UV dye is easy enough, everything from coolant dye to laundry detergent OBA's (optical brightening agents) Tide is very visible under UV light. You might be able to spot the leak and possibly weld it in situ, might save a tear-down..

Just a thought.

Its almost certainly going to be down near the seat where I ground big holes in the ports. Even if I could weld it I don't know how I'd grind it smooth and get the debris out?...and it's REALLY hard to weld in tiny little ports.

I think I should pull the head for this kind of work. I'll be able to flush it out to get rid of all the coolant inside, grind out whatever the issue is, weld it, grind it and most importantly clean and leak test it

Understandable, just thought if you could spot the location leak first it would let you know what you're looking at and if you were lucky it might be further up the port, who knows.

As to grinding and evacuating, I suppose a shop vac with a reducer hose and flexible tubing would work or a venturi vacuum.

Butcher is back and never a worry, Best Hot Rod ever.

I'm thinking it may be a good idea to look in there with a bore scope before taking it apart to see if you can put some pressure on the coolant system and see where its coming from before taking it apart. They have some really neat little bore scopes on ebay for $15 that plug into a smartphone.