Yea, the engines are the same whether 2wd or syncrhro. I think head jobs were
common in 84s,5s,6s&7s due to pitting which caused leaking at the head
gasket. Wrong antifreeze was blamed by some but I don't buy that. I used
"Autobahn" all the time and it still happened to my 87 at 77K(head job
courtesy VW). I would't worry about a head job--if that's all it was--as long
as someone didn't overheat the engine beforehand. I know 2 people who ran the
engine out of coolant and needed much more major work.

One thing I'd check is the exhaust system integrity--but a 86 may have that
all done over. Mine (now 119K) was mostly replaced at 70K, but our salty
roads are murder on those pipes hanging at the rear.

Don't know much about the trans, but I have some unnatural noise in the front
drive. However, I tow with it more than I should I guess.

DanWilliams   (skidooer.aol.com)
87 Synchro
94 Glorified VW sedan