For those of us who enjoy and benefit from pictures more than a manual I hope these are helpful when replacing your lifters.
BEFORE
AFTER
After removing the upper intake manifold you will be greeted by a filthy dirty lower intake manifold. During the process of removing wires, parts, and hoses it is a good idea to tag each item & its connecting point. The upper/lower gasket may be brittle (like mine) so be careful not to let and pieces fall into the combustion chambers.
Before you begin the lifter R&R job be sure to let your new lifters soak in new oil for at least 3 days. This is a sure way to remove all air from the lifter, have them full of oil, and greatly reduce the chance of damaging them upon installation. However, it should be noted the use of your wife's tupperware container for said lifter oil bath could be hazardous to one's health. I do not recommend it.
After removing the plumbing for the cooling system (black tube), all sensors (now is the time to replace them), fuel rails (need a special tool), and fuel injectors make sure you clean the gasket surfaces. To clean the surfaces as to better insure a leak free installation first spray the old gasket remnants with brake/parts cleaner, lightly scrap them with a hand held scraper, use a razor blade for smaller more stubborn pieces. Next, spray the surface again, then LIGHTLY use 320-400 grit sand paper. After all the remnants are gone wipe the surface throughly with acetone, then a clean paper towel or cloth. NOTE that the ends of the manifold may still have discoloration after the cleaning process. This is fine as long as the surface feels as smooth as glass to the touch.
Make sure that when you remove the lower intake manifold that you immediately cover the engine galley with a cloth and plug the intake ports with rags or shop towels. To clean the head surface repeat the steps for the intake manifold above. Note that a vacuum is advisable in order to keep gasket remnants and other debris out of the engine. You can clean with one hand and hold the vacuum with the other if alone, or have a friend hold the vacuum if you are blessed enough to have help. This will be a slower process due to the location of the head's surface (in the engine bay). Be patient, don't rush, do it right the first time, and don't forget to give the front and rear of the block the same treatment. Those two areas are critical to get cleaned. Also do not forget to plug the distributor hole if you have removed the distributor (make sure to mark a block to distributor reference and a rotor to distributor housing reference BEFORE removing the distributor).
Make sure you research your rocker arm type & installation specifics before you start the project (mine were simple bolt down pedestal roller rockers). Remove your valve covers, and clean the gasket surfaces as noted above.
It is CRITICAL that you remove the rocker arms & pushrods and immediately store them in the exact orientation and position as they were in the motor. The valve train wears together, don't mix cylinders (i.e. rockers from C2 with C7). Take the time now to inspect your pushrods. Make sure you can clearly see through the hole in the middle of them. Make sure that you roll 2 at a time together on a clean flat surface to check for warpage. If the 2 will not roll together (fwd & bkwd) because one pushrod is unable to roll correctly then you have a bent pushrod. If you find one bent pushrod then replace all the pushrods now while everything is apart. Note that you must be mindful through this testing to retain the original orientation and cylinder order of the pushrods. If you are buying new ones then it doesn't matter, but you must also check new pushrods in the same manner. Defective pushrods are not unheard of.
While you are at it, and if you have pedestal rockers like I do, be sure to check the pedestals. Pay attention to small details. For example, I found that almost all of my pedestals had small cracks running down the side of them (pictured). These pedestals are in the process of failing either from age or from King Kong who ignored proper torque specs when installing. If even one shows a minor crack replace them all. They are only $13 on Amazon and it will save you a catastrophic engine failure. Note: speaking of torque specs, make sure you consult the manufacturer for the correct torque specs for your rocker arms. This is critical in order to have a properly running valve train.
The new pedestals for $13 on Amazon
I've run out of allowed space. I continue in a response to myself below...
I've run out of allowed space. I continue in a response to myself below...