i just finished replacingthe head gasket on my 95 neon SOHC. My question is, is it normal for there to be some white smoke coming out still? is it just something i have to drive the car through, that will stop after a bit of driving? It's still in the garage atm b/x i dont know if its safe to drive it yet, so any help would be appreciated.

white smoke seems to me like a piston ring seal problem.

Mine did it for a while, and then it went away. Maybe 5-6months later I got the black smoke. Advice, rebuild a block soon, and /or do what ever engine swap you have planned.

how difficult is it to replace the piston ring seal? how far would i have to tear the engine down to (still more or less a noob at engine work, lol. replacing the headgasket is the farthest ive gone so far).

the easiest (not really easy) way to replace the rings is to remove the connecting rods from the crankshaft, remove the pistons from the rods, replace the rings, hone the cylinder walls, replace everything back again. might want to do this at a shop. might be easier to do a motor swap.

ORIGINAL: Atremise

how difficult is it to replace the piston ring seal? how far would i have to tear the engine down to (still more or less a noob at engine work, lol. replacing the headgasket is the farthest ive gone so far).

I'd rank that a 9 outta 10 on the difficulty scale. It is not "hard' but it is detailed, and there is a lot to do to get to them.