IDIBRONCO
IDIBRONCO
Remove the valley pan. It will get in the way when you're trying to put the heads back. You can pull the heads with the manifolds on, but they will be lighter. The studs in the outlet side of the manifolds can damage the head gaskets during installation so leave them off. I used to always use a pry bar to lift the heads slightly before trying to pull them off. Lift them just enough to get them to move by hand. I lifted the front of the head while holding the head with the other hand. That's just in case you lift a little bit too far and the head comes off of the dowel. This can let the front part of the head slide down and could gouge the sealing surface of the head. Maybe not, but better to be safe than sorry. If you only break the front of the head free, you may have to work the head up and down some to get the back of the head to release. I also liked to have a helper close by when installing the heads. I'd stand on the steering linkages and have the helper hand me the head. I was always afraid that the head would fall while I was trying to climb inside the engine compartment. These were just a few helpful hints that I learned along the way.