440 head gasket question.

The way the system is designed for proper coolant flow, those two holes you have circled in blue on the 452 head, should be blocked by the gasket.

The coolant path is designed to go from the front of the block to the rear, then up into the head thru the large hole at the rear, then from the rear of the head to the front, then down into the block thru the large hole in the front, which connects to the water pump port.