New member: 2.7L tacoma

I'm new to this form and just wanted to get some feed back on what some people would do in this situation I'm in.
This truck has 138,000 miles that I last recall. This past year it's been acting up with a few problems all been fixed.
Me and my dad share a 1995 tacoma 2.7L 4x4. A few months ago the radiator blew. So we replaced the radiator, hose, thermostat (gasket also), and radiator cap. He drove it for a few weeks until he bought a new vehicle. After it sat for 2 weeks I decided to drive it since it had not moved. And it overheated on me 5 miles down the road. Went back home and let truck sit, no antifreeze in radiator.

We are both assuming the head gasket, since we had noticed a new white looking smoke from exhaust for some time.
If this is the problem, what is the rough estimate in money that people have seen being out into it to fix the problem .
I will be doing the work myself, minus machine shop work if needed.

Personally I don't want to have to get rid of the truck. Want to keep a truck for when its needed.

 

Welcome to TW! As for the coolant issue, I would first remove the head and do an inspection before you tackle anything else. I had a similar issue and I thought I had a blown head gasket. It ended up being a crack in a cylinder wall. Inspect it before you spend ANY money on parts.