i just finished an ls/vtec swap and now the motor is blowing HUGE clouds of white smoke...and i know its coolant...here is the setup

stock b18a1 block
stock jdm b16 1st gen head
ls headgasket
pr3 pistons
brand new oem gaskets, seals, rings

i know ive got all the coolant lines in the right places, and im using arp GSR headstuds torqued to arp's torque specs, and the head IS NOT blown since it ran before it was pulled, however i DID NOT use the dowel pins. the local machine shop who plugged the oil line and resurfaced the head told me that i would not need to use the dowel pins since i am using headstuds and they should line the headgasket enough. also some of the holes for the oil lines dont perfectly line up with the holes on the head, is this normal? am i using the right headgasket?

if this has happened to anyone else, pls tell me what u did to fix it. should i have used the dowel pins? i dont know what else it could be, im bout to send it to the machine shop again to have it pressure tested just in case. please any comments or anything will help alot.

 

your head is not set right for$9.99 on ebay order the golden eagle dowl pins and copper spray the headgasket re torq and you should be good to go if the head is off by 1mm it will throw things off thats why they have the dowl pins there to allign things up properly and let me know how it runs after i am in the middle of doing my ls/vtec with the same setup

 

actually found the problem...the intake gasket got soaked it fuel cause after i put the fuel rail in, i checked for pressure and it leaked, when i got it fixed i started the motor and it idled way to high. thats when i realized that i didnt tighten the bottom i/m bolts, so fuel corroded my gasket therefore coolant was getting in my 4th runner. have to wait till tues. for an oem gasket from my work.