Parts List

These are all the things I need to buy, in order to do the head gasket job (and other overdue maintenance) on my truck. I will check them off as I get them.

Head Gasket Job Parts:
-Head Gasket Kit (head gasket, intake manifold gasket, exhaust gasket, valve cover gasket...) (bought)
-Head Bolts (bought)
-2 Drain Pans (1 for oil, 1 for coolant) (bought)
-Oil Filter (bought)
-Drain Plug Gasket (bought)
-Engine Oil (bought)
-Coolant (bought)

Head Gasket Job Tools:
-Reference Materiel (Hayes Manual) (bought)
-1/2" Torque Wrench (borrowed)
-Straight Edge (for checking the head and block to make sure they aren't warped.) (bought)
-Feeler Gauge Set (to use with the straight edge to check for warpage.) (bought)
-Filter Wrench (bought)
Other Maintenance Parts:
-Thermostat (For the cooling system. I changed the radiator hose and didn't replace the thermostat, like I was suppose to, so this is way overdue.)
-Power Steering Fluid (bought)
-Timing Belt (I actually have to check the timing belt, to see if it needs to be replaced, but the engine has over 180,000 miles on it, and I don't think that the timing belt has ever been changed. So there is a decent chance I do need to buy a new one.)(Matt informed me that this was replaced recently so no need to worry 'bout it.)

If I think of anything else I need, I'll post it on here.

Parts and the Almighty Dollar

This week I set out to take car of the next step of my head gasket project, purchasing the new head gasket. Simple yes? NO! It turnes out, and I didn't anticipate this, that its strongly recommended to replace valve cover gaskets and intake manifold gaskets along with the head gaskets. So, a $35 head gasket turns into a $72 head gasket kit. Then I discover that the head bolts on my particular engine are no reusable, so a $72 head gasket kit turns into a $105 head gasket kit and head bolt set. The moral of the story? Do your homework (which I thought I had. I'm still so new to the auto mechanic world, that sometimes I don't know the questions to ask, to do the correct research.) and even then budget extra money for parts.

Since the parts cost more than I anticipated, and I'm on the starving college student type budget, it looks like I'll be aquiring all the things I need a little at a time. Most likely it will take the better part of the summer to purchase everything, so I'm gonna shoot to have the truck finished in time for the snow, this winter.

Top Tier Gasoline

One of my Auto Mech Professors is really adamant about the importance of using good quality gasoline. He says its well worth the extra 10c or so a gallon. So I got online, did a little research and found some of the most familiar top tier gasolines:
-Chevron
-Shell
-Texaco
-Conoco
-Phillips 66
-76
-MFA Oil Co.
-Entec Stations
-The Somerset Refinery, Inc.
-Tri-Par Oil Co.

all information was retrieved from http://www.toptiergas.com/ . You can check out the website and get more info about the advantages of running your vehicle on top tier gasoline.

Reference Material

My professors keep hammering home the importance of using reference material. I always thought that good mechanics could just start tearing things apart, then put them back together. According to the guys who teach at my school, that is not necessarily the case.

I need all the help I can get, so on their advice, before I started pulling the valve covers and heads off of my engine, I decided it would be a good idea to purchase a Hayes manual for my truck.

Manuals like this one are based on a COMPLETE breakdown and rebuild of the specified vehicle. It has all your torque specs and tolerances. Invaluable!

To find a manual for your vehicle, check out half.com or amazon.com.