Blown head gasket?

[simonjrwinter]

OK after much thought, I've pulled my engine out to investigate the noise (see engine problems, parts 1,2 and 3!) that started after my roller rocker came off and the engine started backfiring through the carb.
I've removed the sump, stud girdle, oil pump and main caps and can find nothing wrong (apart from a leaking rear seal which I will address) everything seems smooth, with no undue wear, the bores are fine and the piston skirts are intact.
When I removed the heads (world windsor sr in ali with ARP studs) again there seemed to be no problem. The only thing that seemed slightly unusual was that the L/H head (the one where the rocker came off) lifted off straight away, while the unaffected head seemed to be much more difficult to get away from the gasket. Is this a sign of a blown head gasket? I couldn't see any signs of the gasket being blown, but the I don't really know what I'm looking for.
I didn't see any signs of water in the oil or oil in the water when I drained them.
Thanks guys.
Simon