Thought I would throw out an update. Took me some moping around, pushing the car and making friends with some policeman while I got a path forward worked out.
I found a machinist that comes recommended by a few reliable sources. About an hour away in Long Island. Jesse's Machine Shop in New Islip.
A fellow I've known around the area that has a motorcycle and motoring shop came over last week to take a second look at what I have going on. He expected to see in my pictures and what was under the valve cover to be frothy. Being just blue liquid had him ask if there was anyway someone could access the engine to contaminate the engine. (No). After he looked around and we cleaned up any blue we could find, I ran the engine for a few minutes. Good and steady sound, clean exhaust.
Turned it off and looked under the cover and there was the frothy coolant he was speaking of. And nothing to see that explains it from this inspection.
On his recommendation I drained all the fluids out. Filled the engine with ATF (not in the radiator!
) and ran it for a minute. Drain and repeat. I changed the oil filter both times as well. When I dumped my catch pan into a bucket I found at least a quart of blue. Maybe my eyes are large, but it was a lot. The filter was almost a cup of blue in central reservoir.
I called the machinist and I'm taking my new head and my head from the old engine out there tomorrow. We''ll see.
I need to make another shopping list too. New head gasket. Mmmm, gotta sit down tonight and make sure I have considered everything I need to replace.