Head swap concerns and questions

[Phlash_riot]

Well I am in the middle of my head swap. I have the new heads i have all the parts except my new knock sensors which are in the mail. But i have some questions that i couldn't find answers to.
- What is the torque setting for the Valley Cover bolt(Just found this answer and for all of you its 18ft/lbs)
- What do i need to do, if anything, to install new lifters? I.E. soak them in oil, throw on a BUNCH of assembly lube and throw em in?
- I have the fuel injectors out of the intake manifold and the fuel rail. the "O" rings seems to be in good shape... do i need to apply anything to them to get them back in or just shove em in there and call it good?
- Should i do anything about the carbon deposits on the pistons or just get some FP60 additive?
- What should i use to clean the lifter plastic keepers(barrymans B12?) and what is the torque setting on the plastic keepers retaining bolt?(106 in/lbs)
- I have the water temperature sensor from my old heads and need to put in my new set... Do i just use regular old home depot pipe dope to seal it or do i have to get some spacial high temperature stuff?
- I have a gasket set from Fel-pro for the heads... but they are both EXACTLY the same.... so one side goes on just fine and all the holes match up and what no but the other side to get front facing the front it's kinda like... well upside down i guess you could say.... well better yet if you have both gaskets on the engine and you look at them the flat surface looks different. When i reference the original gaskets the side that faces "up"(away form the engine toward the heads) looks exactly the same where all the metal is showing through the gasket.... If i have to get pictures I can but hopefully someone knows what the hell i am talking about.
Also i kinda forgot where a couple bolts go on the top of the intake manifold.. the ones that hold down a metal braket... anyone got any pics that i can use for reference?


Well once i figure out all that i just pray that there are no glitches switching over to the 241 casting heads on my 99 T/A


Any help is as always appreciated

Thanks
Steve

[Phlash_riot]

Ttt

[Phlash_riot]

anyone??? ???

[mrr23]

Well I am in the middle of my head swap. I have the new heads i have all the parts except my new knock sensors which are in the mail. But i have some questions that i couldn't find answers to.
- What is the torque setting for the Valley Cover bolt(Just found this answer and for all of you its 18ft/lbs)

ok, you found that answer.

- What do i need to do, if anything, to install new lifters? I.E. soak them in oil, throw on a BUNCH of assembly lube and throw em in?

some will tell you to soak them in oil. i don't because they could hydraulic lock up from having too much oil in them. i use engine bearing assembly lube and cover it all over including the wheel.

- I have the fuel injectors out of the intake manifold and the fuel rail. the "O" rings seems to be in good shape... do i need to apply anything to them to get them back in or just shove em in there and call it good?

i would put a little bit of oil. just enough to make htem slip in without tearing.

- Should i do anything about the carbon deposits on the pistons or just get some FP60 additive?

if you want to, sure. buff them off with some cleaner. make sure you rotate the engien around a couple of times to get all of the particles out that get trapped between the top ring and the wall.

- What should i use to clean the lifter plastic keepers(barrymans B12?) and what is the torque setting on the plastic keepers retaining bolt?(106 in/lbs)

just regular degreaser works.

- I have the water temperature sensor from my old heads and need to put in my new set... Do i just use regular old home depot pipe dope to seal it or do i have to get some spacial high temperature stuff?

jut regular old pipe dope.

- I have a gasket set from Fel-pro for the heads... but they are both EXACTLY the same.... so one side goes on just fine and all the holes match up and what no but the other side to get front facing the front it's kinda like... well upside down i guess you could say.... well better yet if you have both gaskets on the engine and you look at them the flat surface looks different. When i reference the original gaskets the side that faces "up"(away form the engine toward the heads) looks exactly the same where all the metal is showing through the gasket.... If i have to get pictures I can but hopefully someone knows what the hell i am talking about.
Also i kinda forgot where a couple bolts go on the top of the intake manifold.. the ones that hold down a metal braket... anyone got any pics that i can use for reference?

flip the other gasket over. fel-pro doesn't make a left and right gasket.
http://stealthram.com/vhpheadinstall.html pics from when i did the head swap on the wife's car.

Well once i figure out all that i just pray that there are no glitches switching over to the 241 casting heads on my 99 T/A


Any help is as always appreciated

Thanks
Steve

shouldn't be any problems. i put the 5.3L heads on the wife's car. just follow the torque sequences and you'll be sitting pretty in no time.

[Phlash_riot]

Thanks Mrr23...again for the info.

[mrr23]

anytime

[Roastem]

On first reading that, I was like damn, I really don't have time to answer all of those questions.

Make sure you clean those threads well for the new head bolts, and get all that coolant out of there. Then THREAD a bolt in each one until it goes all the way down without much torque. I had one bolt that refused to go all the way down with the recommended 22 lb-ft. I ended up have to tighten that bastard till it looked like it was level with the head, then turn it the recommended turns. VERRRY SKETCHY. Thankfully no coolant leaks though.

[Phlash_riot]

UPDATE: Got everything going OK so far. have to put the coil packs on tonight and tightem the exhaust manifold bolts on the collector and the who air intake assembly from filter to TB back on and fire her up.... Here's hoping!!!!

[Roastem]

Cross your fingers dude!

Crank it up with the longtubes only for a real kick! It sounds nasty dude, like it belongs at the dragstrip.

choppity chop chop chop choppity chop

Boner inducing sound man!

[Phlash_riot]

UPDATE: got her all together and fired her up. purring like a kitten. smelly kitten right now but still sounds good. no clacks bangs pops or knocks. Took her around the block last night and to work this morning and everything went well. Get myself an oil change and radiator flush and all will be good with the world. keeping my fingers crossed until I A: Hit 500miles B: Go WOT and she hold together.

[Roastem]

I know what you mean, I did my head install myself, threw in a new timing chain, LS6 oil pump, and Meziere water pump while I had it apart. I had a few worries, ?oil pressure? ?will the water pump work? ?will I blow the head gaskets? ?will I have coolant leaks and oil leaks from all the new gaskets? I mean, I did practically take the engine apart and put it back together with it in the car.

She held, then I punished her poonanny.