I'd change it ASAP, but for the heck of it, remember..you can't tear up
junk

I'd pull the valve cover first, and re-torque the head bolts. it's
possible that the bolts at the front of the head may have come loose or
have probably streached. that wouldn't be a permanent fix by any means.
but should "get you by" for a while. But don't stall a good repair. I
can understand that you don't want to put a lot of money in an engine
repair, but then again, you don't want to ruin an expensive head
either.

Those engines have a very tough lower end