Everyone,

A bit of an update. I took some time yesterday to check the timing and flush the system. With the timing light I found idle timing at around 800 RPM to be only 5 degrees BTDC. Would this have been retarded enough to cause an overheat? It certainly seems to have been a contributing factor. I adjusted the timing and flushed the system (no major culprits were removed so not sure if this did anything). We then took it for a "spirited" drive and the overheating did not seem to be an issue, but unfortunately it was a cooler day and the hills weren't quite as steep. Hopefully once I get my new radiator back from the shop the overheating should be solved.

As for the smoking, it now seems worse and, having a chance to see it by having my friend drive the car, I think the smoke is more gray/blueish but it is pretty hard to tell. I get little puffs when shifting or when starting from idle. I can get really big amounts of smoke by coasting down a hill in gear (about 3k RPM) and then hitting the gas. My friend and I are planning on pulling the head this weekend and replacing the head gasket and valve stem seals while its out. Hopefully nothing is too warped or I have damaged something in the bottom end!

Thanks for all the help!
Brian