Alright, it goes like this:

I was driving it around Nov '06 and the engine started getting real hot, so I found out I had a coolant leak of some sort.

When I drove it, the engine made a clicking sound.
I turned it off and parked it.

While I was in boot camp, my mom had it towed to the shop I usually take it to.

Well, they took the engine apart, found a cracked gasket....but said they were going to charge 600+ to put it back togethert [thats NOT fixing it]

So, she had it towed back to my house, where it now sits in the garage.

The manifold and cylinder heads are sitting in my trunk with bolts everywhere.

Well, what I'm wanting to know is, if I go buy new gaskets, how hard would it be to install them and put the engine back together.

i have the torque specs and a haynes manual, and i know engines arent too complicated.

Any help here?
I really miss my baby

putting back together is not that difficult, but make sure you have head checked for warpage before reinstalling

oh, im buying new ones :)

but other than that, it couldnt cost too much and should be fairly simple, right?

edit: ok i read that wrong i was thinking of gaskets.


how to tell if they are warped?

besides the obvious warped metal.....is there anything i should look for in specific?

Mind,
You need to take the heads to a machine shop and have them checked to make sure they are not cracked or warped real bad. Late model Chevy heads are notorious for cracking when they get hot. It would probably be a good idea to have them resurfaced no matter what to make sure the new gaskets seal correctly.

how much would it cost for a machine shop to check the heads?

most shops will ck heads real reasonable,probably less than 50 to ck them, take to a good machine shop..

They are pretty simple to install, just bolt up. Don't forget that coolant line that runs in the rear from one head to the other. Only problem you might have is matching up accessory bolts with where they go. And always buy new head bolts the stock ones are useless after being torqued down once.

yes, im definetely buying the whole gasket kits with bolts.

there's so many wires in the engine i just hope i can do this.
i dont know about you guys, but 4th gen engine compartments are small