Overheating, starters, bearings, etc... (long)

[Doug Wooten <DWooten@domain.elided>]

Hi all,

I have been battling with an engine problem in my '72 Scout (304V8) for
some time now, and am looking for advice. Here is the history:  Last
July on the way back from a trail ride at Land Between the Lakes,  the
top radiator hose busted and the truck started to overheat. So, I
applied some radiator hose tape (available at Auto Zone - I always carry
it, works great) and refilled the radiator with water.  Once again I'm
on the way home.  The hose patch seems to be working fine, but I notice
that the engine is slowly getting hotter.  I am only a few miles from
home now so I decide the trusty Scout will get me there.  Besides, the
engine isn't actually overheating, just running hotter.  Suddenly the
engine looses alot of power and stalls.  I coast to the side of the road
to check it out.

When I opened the hood there was alot of steam coming from the drivers
side of the engine, and judging from the way the truck was running, I
decided that I had blown the head gasket on that side.  I had the truck
towed to the house and decided to do a compression test to determine if
the head gasket was blown.  

This is when the real problems started.  I removed a spark plug, screwed
in the compression gauge and hit the starter.  The starter sounded like
it was under alot of strain and suddenly I saw that some of the wires
under the hood had burst into flame.  Most of the harness on the engine
side of the firewall burned to a crisp.  I then replaced the starter,
thinking that it was bad.  I didn't bother with the wiring harness
(except to disconnect it to prevent it from shorting)  With the new
starter hooked up I was again ready to start the compression test.  

Once again I engaged the starter (directly jumped the solenoid), it
again sounded like it was under alot of strain, and it got very hot.
The engine only turned over very slowly.

My questions are:

- Will the compression test tell me if the head gasket is blown?

- Do I have a starter problem?

- Do I have a much more serious problem, like maybe a bad crankshaft
bearing, which caused the heating problem, and is causing the starter
problems?

- Is there a way to check the main bearings without taking the engine
apart?

TIA,
--Doug Wooten
--Georgia Bounty Runners
--'62 Travelall, '72 Scout, '97 Rodeo