Can I do it myself????

chris91LX · 04-08-2002, 11:54 AM

You can do it. I did the heads, cam and intake for the first time myself in January. I'd never even seen it done before. Just make sure you take your time about it and mark everything, I kept all the bolts for each accessory in a separate sandwich bag, and took pictures of each stage of the teardown so I'd have something to reference if I needed to. You can also tape bolts to the parts they belong with, such as the grounding wires and the smog tube that runs across the heads in the back. I was surprised at how easy it went, I have a couple mechanic buddies who i was counting on jumping in if i messed something up, but the only thing i needed from them was advice, I did all the work myself.

I didn't have to remove the fuel lines I just unbolted them from the block and twisted them up and out of the way. Your gonna have to remove the radiator and twist the the a/c condenser(?) up and out of the way to put in the new cam, but it's all pretty simple stuff. I didn't use a degree wheel for my cam either, a guy on this board had me all freaked out about it for a couple days, but i got it all together and it runs like a top by just lining up the marks on the timing chain gears. The header bolts on the RPM's are the same as they are on the stock heads, so you'll have no problem there.

The best advice i can give you is to take your time, mark everything and don't be afraid to post questions. If you do a search on my name you'll see some of the stupid questions i asked a couple months ago

If you have any questions feel free to pm me and I'll help you out if i can. Good luck.

Chris

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04-08-2002, 11:54 AM	#4
chris91LX Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1998 Location: Suburban Chicago, Hanover Park Posts: 695	You can do it. I did the heads, cam and intake for the first time myself in January. I'd never even seen it done before. Just make sure you take your time about it and mark everything, I kept all the bolts for each accessory in a separate sandwich bag, and took pictures of each stage of the teardown so I'd have something to reference if I needed to. You can also tape bolts to the parts they belong with, such as the grounding wires and the smog tube that runs across the heads in the back. I was surprised at how easy it went, I have a couple mechanic buddies who i was counting on jumping in if i messed something up, but the only thing i needed from them was advice, I did all the work myself. I didn't have to remove the fuel lines I just unbolted them from the block and twisted them up and out of the way. Your gonna have to remove the radiator and twist the the a/c condenser(?) up and out of the way to put in the new cam, but it's all pretty simple stuff. I didn't use a degree wheel for my cam either, a guy on this board had me all freaked out about it for a couple days, but i got it all together and it runs like a top by just lining up the marks on the timing chain gears. The header bolts on the RPM's are the same as they are on the stock heads, so you'll have no problem there. The best advice i can give you is to take your time, mark everything and don't be afraid to post questions. If you do a search on my name you'll see some of the stupid questions i asked a couple months ago If you have any questions feel free to pm me and I'll help you out if i can. Good luck. Chris