I just finished installing the new timing chain on the LO3 and cant figure out how the timing chain COVER fits back in its place...do i haveto drop the oilpan in order to install the cover?(hope not) ...please help

Thats a 10-4 if you wanna do the job right and not have the front oil pan seal leak . You can drop it down enough to get the timing cover back on without removing it all the way ....

thnx man...thought there is some other way to do it but i guess not...since started with it might as well finish it the right way...here i go dropping the oil pan ..(its gonna be fun)

you can grind the inner lip off the timing chain cover. lot of people do that with differant levels of success. i never have.

Even if doing the lipectomy, I'd still at least loosen the pan before reinstalling the cover (just wouldn't have to drop it as far).

I was going to ask how you got the timing cover off. Installation is the reverse of disassembly, you know...

exactly what i thought...but when started puting everything together...i couldnt figure out how that cover goes back on...taking the old one out i had NO problems at all it just came out by pulling on it towards me and up sortof...i dont know i had enough trouble with just changing the timing chain(bought one of those double roller chain spent 3hours fitting it on and at the end found out it didnt fit so i went and got me an original one)...not talking about having the whole engine apart....last thing i was thinking bout is taking the oil pan off...i mean its lust an LO3 all i wanted is to change it to the carb and add few things but when took it all apart realized that its all waste of money now just trying to put it back together cuz it sucks without a ride...

If you don't want to drop the oil pan and risk getting leaks around the sides, I suppose you could do what was already said and grind off the inside lip of the seal, but I approahed mine differently because I wanted the inside lip to shield oil off the top of the gasket and possibly find it's way outside the engine. I basically cut the oil pan gasket at the two front corners, making it an old style 3-piece seal. With the front four oil pan bolts loosened and silicone on the cut edges it went on without a problem. That was a year and a half ago and it doesn't leak...yet. Oh, and the Summit double roller chainset fit perfectly, I don't know who makes it though.

If I had to cut that nice one-piece pan gasket, I think I'd cry.

I've heard of guys putting the bottom of the cover onto the pan, putting a couple of small Phillips screwdrivers in bolt holes towards the bottom and pushing down with the screwdrives and back on the top of the cover to get it back on, but that takes at least 3 hands and I just don't like doing things that way. (And it was with old style 4-piece pan gaskets.)

Taking the inner lip off runs the risk of the gasket slipping in off and into the pan, but that risk can be reduced by careful cleaning and thin silicone sealant.

I'd loosen the pan.

thnx alot for all the info...now i decided to loosen the pan since i thought it would be the best thing to do, only... if i do it by the way manual is printed i would haveto take half a car apart ...can i just jack the car up and unscrew the bolts...would that be enough to slip the timing chain cover on...(i cant believe i got into this )

You don't have to remove the pan. Just loosen enough to get the timing cover back on.