To make a long story not so long, my car (2000 Civic EX with 2000 GSR motor) started overheating on the highway (about 4000 rpm). All of the coolant was gone so I couldn't tell what the issue was at first. So I fill it back up with antifreeze and I could drive it as much and as far as I wanted, as long as I kept the RPMs below 4,000 and I didn't load the engine up much. As soon as I got on it a little, it would soon overheat. Luckily, once, I found a place to stop before all of the coolant ran out and I could see steam (lots of it) coming from the timing area of the headgasket (far right side when looking at engine).

All in all, the car overheated 3 times in which most all of the coolant was used and once where coolant remained measurable.

My question is: I know I need a new headgasket, but what else should I do to make it completely reliable and safe? Deck/mill the head? Valve job? Etc?

I've only had the car a few months and the motor was freshly built and has about 2,500 miles on it. It is my DD and I don't drive it hard, I just wanted the extra power to get up the mountains where I live. It surprises me that the HG blew, but since that has never happened before, I'm at a loss in what to do.

Thanks

 

only way to know is to pull it apart and check the mating surfaces for straightness.

 

Any advice?

 

the advice above will lead you to your answer.

 

Have you tried taking of the timing covers to see if it is the water pump that is leaking or see if you can see anything leaking.
You could also get a cooling system pressure tester and use that to see if you can find a leak.
Both of these can be done without much trouble and without tearing the engine apart.

 

i would rent a cooling system pressure checker to check for any other possible leaks. and if its a headgasket the the head must be removed and checked for any problems due to the overheating.

 

start with the easiest first, which is the pressure check