i would block fill the top inch or so of the water jacket and then drill out the block fill where the head gasket holes are. We did that before on an LS/Vtec and it worked good. Easier than block posting imo and probably cheaper than a block guard also. And whats wrong with zip ties? Zip ties ftw!
here you go:
http://www.homemadeturbo.com/forum/index.php?topic=36739.0