...and boy was it HOT! took a little longer than i thought, but still went ok. i started with the pass. side because i figured it would be harder. and it was. i used a k-d 3271 spring compressor which sits on top of the spring and has 2 arms with hooks that extend down and grab the bottom of the spring. i didn't need any fancy aftermarket tools. one thing i didn't realize though, until i got the cover off, was the factory dampers that sit under the spring obstruct the jaws of the tool. so i screamed and cursed for about a half hour. then i figured, i won't be using them over, so i got a big screwdriver, spun them around until i had access to the opening in them, carefully pried them away from the spring, then pulled them out with a pair of pliers. the tool went right on after that. i started with cyl. #6, which was a BIATCH. it would have made it easier if i had removed the heater hoses, but at that point, i already had the cover off, and didn't want to chance getting antifreeze into the motor. anyhow, the pass. side took me 2 1/2 hours. the driver's side was a walk in the park. took 1 hour. i also replaced the intake valve seals while i was in there. why go through that labor twice. started her up and let idle for a few minutes, made sure no leaks. cracked the throttle a few times, and response does feel snappier. took her out for a ride, but couldn't get into it too much. i only had 4 gals. of fuel in the tank, and if i went over 1/4 throttle, it would pull hard enough to uncover the fuel pickup. it did seem to rpm faster though. i will be going down to atco on thurs. night to hopefully crack the 11's. wish me luck.
