loosened the head bolts, then retorqued them a second time.
Wait...I want to hear about this. Is this the way the re-torque is supposed to be done after 500 miles, or is this a means of correcting leaks...and does it work?

I am in agreement with the others, having taken the heads off two engines, that the block is very good grade iron that lasts...both engines still showed cross-hatching in the cylinders, and my 2.4 has 217,000 on the odometer. I'd buy a truck with 125,000 miles in a heartbeat...though I'm NOT familiar with the 2.6 at all.