Most of this is in your head. You simply have to resolve to repair it. "Back in the day" I paid a machine shop to hot tank and "do" a set of heads for a 440, went into my 64 Dodge. The heads came back "done" and painted. Put it together and in the car. About a month later the core plug on the REAR of the pass head leaked. On that car the head is very very close to the firewall. Had to pull the engine up to access the plug. The machine shop had NOT removed or replaced the head plugs.
"Stuff happens." Now, you are not dealing with a car a 'few years old,' you are dealing with one that is 40-50 years old
