so my truck did what this engine is famous for (threw out 2 plugs) and then again (threw out 1 plug and healy coil) so 1300.00 later i have a really broken truck... but i found a set of heads newly redone for extremely affordable. gonna pick them up this weekend. my question is, how do i do this swap, i only need to replace the passenger side. I have my dad and a friend that is gonna help me. is there any schematics I can look at as a referance while doing this? what all do i need? I know i need head gaskets, but what else? how long will this take. is there anything i can do that will prevent this from happening again? and so on and so forth, lol. i NEED my truck back!! its kinda hard to haul feed for 10 horses in a saturn..........

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How many miles are on the truck? My personal opinion is that if you have any mileage on the truck at all then you should consider replacing the timing chain guides and chains while you are in there. Make sure you take your time, you can really screw the truck up badly if you don;t get things just right when doing the job. Your biggest problems will be in removing the exhaust manifold from head, and down pipe from manifold as these bolts typically rust badly. That passenger side valve cover is a PITA to remove and install. Make sure that you remove your chain at TDC and do no secure the camshaft bearing caps until you verify the engine and cam are in time or you will bend valves.

 

I would also suggest that you hang out at your local Ford dealership back lot at around 4-5pm, when you see a mid 30's looking guy heading out to his Ford truck to go home, stop him and ask him if he would like to make $200. It may be worth it to avoid severe damage. To answer your other question it is possible that with limited experience in performing this job it could take you 2 days and 10+hours