my almost immaculate AH civic has blown the head gasket four times in its life, and the last one just a thousand ks apart! HELP!!!

 

When you replace the head gasket do you just swap in a new one? Have you checked the head to see if it's warped at all? It may need to be looked at if the car has overheated at any point.

 

head or block must be warped. pull them both and get them straight-edged and shaved to whichever is bent..

 

already had the head planed last time, has almost overheated once since. due to a buggerd thermostat

 

Just check out if your cooling system is in shape or not? Because one of the main reasons for blowing of the head gasket is over-heating of your engine.
Preignition and detonation can also cause damage to head gasket. But again the above two phenomena occur due to engine overheating. So first and foremost just check the health of your cooling system.

 

ok, the block is good. how about the head? is that warped?