If I were to jump on the bandwagon and drop in an LT1 cam (seems like a good investment), any recommendations on what other parts ought to be replaced while I'm in there? (98k on this LO3, btw). Anything that must be replaced vs. things that would be a good idea, since they might fail w/in the next 50k miles?

Also, how much additional work (timewise, for me working alone) do you think it would take to replace my head gaskets at the same time (I think one of them is leaking a tiny bit of oil over time)?

 

I would change the pushrods and timing chain while you were in there. Changing the springs wouldn't be a bad idea either, but you might be able to get by with the old ones.