head gasket

[Craut240]

I have a 1990 240 with a 1998 ka24de in it.. i know the head gasket is blown but don't know how to replace it myself. (wish i could) I got and estimate from a mechanic saying it would be about 600 just to have him take it apart and look to see if the engine would be worth having the gasket replaced or just getting another swap. I really dont want to do that cause if i need to swap the engine ill have payed him 600 bucks to take apart an engine im gonna scrap anyway, is there anyway to find out if i need a new engine myself. I REALLY dont want to do another engine swap. But if i need to what are the price ranges on sr's and rb's nowadays. But i still prefer to keep the current engine. Also what is the usual price range to have a gasket replaced, i just wanna make sure i know a good price so i don't get ripped off.is a compression test the only way to be sure of how much damage was done by the blown head gasket, after it blew i only drove it home. But now it wont start but It still cranks, also what should the compression readings be around for each cylinder??

[MaximA32]

That $600 should go towards the labor of installing the new gasket. If he's already got it apart, it shouldn't be much more to just have him toss the gasket on and put it pack together.