[dtw]

3.0 = aluminum case motor. Good. Check for old-style dilavar studs and replace them, otherwise you should be hopefully off the hook for case work.

If the engine is showing signs of abuse or poor maintenance, you may want to crack the case and just get everything put right. Compared to the top end, assembly of the bottom end is easy. The key (well, one of them), as you will find out, is a clean, organized working environment and surgically clean parts.

Regarding the rocker hardware - some bolts go in one direction, some go in another. The shafts themselves are symmetrical, there's no wrong way to put them in (though there is a correct spacing of them in the cam tower).

The camshaft housings usually don't wear out, if they've been receiving lubricating oil. They run into problems in the rocker shaft area, where the shaft bores get scored and dinged during rocker removal or overtightening of the shafts. The shop you select to do your heads can look over the housings, too. Make sure to disassemble the heads from the cam housings. You should also want to send your pistons and cylinders to the shop for measurement. If you do your bottom end, you'll want to have your crank measured, inspected, and polished, and your rods resized also.

Separating the transmission is easy. Completely de-tension the clutch throw-out lever - I usually just remove the entire assembly for cleaning anyway. Then, remove the four nuts securing the transmission. The transmission should then slide off the engine. Make sure the engine is secured, then hold the trans securely and slide it straight back - don't let it tilt downward.