I have done this twice.First clean the motor and engine bay with a can of that gunk engine cleaner or a pressure washer. Just pull the rad. It will clear enough room for you to work the cam into the block. You need to pull the intake and carb,distributor and coil, valve covers,rocker shafts with rockers,pushrods. And the whole front of the motor,so alt,power steering,fan,fan shroud,pulleys and belts,harmonic dampner,water pump, timing chain cover,fuel pump eccentric ,chain and gears.And possibly the fuel line from the pump to the carb. Dropping the front of the oil pan will make it much easier to put the timing cover back together.Bungie cords or zap straps are usefull for keeping pesky components out of the way,as is bailing wire.Try to keep the water pump bolts sorted as to where they came from,as there are different lengths.Taking a picture prior to dissasembly may help you reassemble it correctly the first time. Or step by step pictures,even better. Hey if you have a digital cam,do it and we can follow along!
It's not that bad but i agree on the sore back!
Replace the timing chain and gears with double rollers while your in there.I prefer Cloyes brand myself. Inspect the water pump and replace if necessary,same for the fuel pump cuz it's easy to get at right now.
Oh,and theres this large felt material ring in the gasket kit,goes behind the balancer. There is a recessed sort of cup on the back of the balancer. I soak it in motor oil,as I think it's meant for keeping the front seal lubed on start up.At least on my 83 318,this part was there. Oh,and inspect the crank snout for a groove where the oil seal rides. Dont worry if there is one,just get a sleeve kit. It should come with the sleeve and a oversize seal for the timing cover. Heat the sleeve up a bit and it should go on pretty easy. I use a chunk of exhaust pipe as a driver.Put some locktite on the crank snout prior to the sleeve and it will prevent the sleeve from spinning on the snout.
The last time I did this I had a broken ankle! Just needed help with the cast intake and that was it..
