Ian's Supercharging Saga - What Now ?

Dear all
My Supercharged mini has blown a head gasket for about the second or third time. I am now faced with the folowing options. One factor must be taken into account. My Jaguar ownership now means that the Mini no longer has to double up as a fun car and one capable of reaching the midlands without to much discomfort. The Jaguar is now my long distance car. I have come up with the following options.

1. Retain the supercharger. Apparently it is possible to sink grooves in the engine block around the cylinder bores and fill them with copper rings which then create an allegedly unbreakble seal with the head. This is likely to involve removing the engine.

2. Return to twin carbs, although this will involve fitting a high lift cam, high compression pistons and possibly a new cylinder head, as the old one had its combustion chambers modified for the supercharger.

3. Return to twin carbs, but fit an alloy cylinder head which are available.

4. Be daring and fit a Minisport 7 port head with twin Webers and a 3-44 to 1 final drive, or would that push me back towards unreliability.

What do you all think ?

I've heard some bad things about minisport engines, so I wouldnt go for option 4.

I would personally just go for a straight gasket change again.

Am I right in thinking you can get different grades of gaskets (ie performance engine ones), but make sure the garage skims the head before fitting it, or it will be gone again in a short time.

The last head gasket was an 8 port one.

I will add that the 7 port head is available as a bare casting, so one wouldn't have to rely on inept Minisport trainees assembling it.