Happy New Year everyone. I'm a complete newbie at diagnosing engine failure and thought I'd see if forum members might be able to help.
Our 280Z has been racing in the 24 Hours of Lemons and appears to eat bad made-in-China water pumps. During our last race we replaced failed pumps twice and then found water in the oil. Thinking the head gasket was blown we pulled the head a few weeks after the race and found excessive water/rust in cylinder 1. The engine started and amazingly ran before we pulled the head. The head gasket itself appears to be in good shape; do we have a cracked block? Pictures attached and opinions desired. Thanks in advance.
Cylinder #1 as it looked when we pulled the head.
Here's the head showing rust just on cylinder #1.
Here's cylinder #1 cleaned up and rotated down to check for cracks.