[Vwdiesel] suspect blown head gasket

[Pam & Doug Boes]

My daughter called home today and asked why there would be white smoke 
coming from the exhaust and rolling out from under the hood. I had her 
open the coolant reservoir after it cooled off and she told me that the 
coolant was an ugly brown color instead of bright green. I figured that 
this is close enough to the telltale signs of a blown head gasket.
The engine is a 1.6 NA. Are there any detailed procedures for removing 
the head for a gasket replacement? I'd like to know: Should I set the 
engine to TDC on #1 before removing the head? I'll probably go back with 
raceware studs just so I won't be replacing another gasket. Can the head 
become damaged if she continues to drive it with the gasket blown or 
will it just have no power? Can the notches in the gasket be observed 
before any work starts? etc., etc.