it turned out to be those compression fittings after all. I used some epoxy to seal the water reservoir from the fittings themselves. Just for a temporary fix until i can get some parts. but it worked just fine, for now. I also used some liquid casket maker to seal the dipstick hole. I put her in the water and put the engine under some pretty typical conditions and pulled a wakeboarder around for a good hour. the oil was not milky at all and the vitals are flawless. thank you again.