I can see no way that the head could be damaged, the studs would strip before the head got damaged. Again, if the studs are not failed then they should be ok.
The biggest problem is possible damage to the fire rings. I was using a head gasket that was specified at a much lower torque than the Haynes suggests. I ignored this and torqued to standard, the fire rings cracked and the gasket failed after a few thousand miles. I then used the correct torque on the next gasket. This failed in a classic under-torqued manner, i.e. blow by the fire rings pressurising the water.
So that new amazing head gasket type has never been used again.
Im glad i got the AF460 head gasket in there
