Today had its issues but went well overall. One major hang up I had was that the pin that the timing chain guide sits on was knicked up so I ordered a new one. Well, that was easy, but the hard part was getting the old pin out! My friend welded a bead around the end of the pin and we used a pair of vice grips welded to a slide hammer to get it out. Worked! After that it was smooth sailing, mostly.










The only stuff left to do is the timing chain tensioner, bolt the head down on the studs, and then put the cams in and valvecover on for good.

Weird issue though - look at the water pump - there is a circular portion sticking out that hits the crank wheel. WTF Is ithat? This pump is from AutohausAZ and is supposed to be right. I dunno wtf that is all about. Considered grinding it down but it looks like it might do something - not sure.