That was actually more of a design flaw in the engine block. The cylinders (all 4 connected) had no webs attaching them around the outside of the block at the top. They would shrink/drop/whatever in the center and the headgasket could no longer seal across the block and cylinders.^^^ Remember the chevy vega with the aluminum engine and the undersized cooling system that frequently ruined the engine?
I was the engine man at a local Chevy dealer, and the foreman found a place in OKC that would mill the top of used blocks down level and bore/rebuild them as short block assemblies pretty cheap. The cylinders would only drop down so far, so once re-milled they gave no more trouble. I replaced quite a few of 'em.
Had a rather goofy overhead cam/valve adjustment design IMO, but it worked ok.
Apologies for getting off topic. Carry on.