i just bought a da with a blown head gasket , i pulled the head off and there was a signifcant amount of water in 2 pistons , and the car sat for 4-5 months prior to me getting it so ,is there going to be rust issues internally -is there anyway to tell without taking the block apart ? or should i just do a swap instead of a head rebuild?

 

See how far the coolant went, Drop the pan and see if you have a chocolate milkshake. If the coolant just hung out on the pistons and there isnt any visible damage its all up to you. Just swap it for a good condition motor and build the ls.

 

actually if the cylinder walls aren't rusted already your probably not gonna have a problem. just get that **** outta there and oil/pb blaster the hell outta everything before it does.