I'm about to take apart my motor. Technically it will be my first time taking apart a big motor by myself. So any tips or suggestions? Maybe a good instruction manual? I have Chiltons already and will probably be using that.

 

One of the best things you can do is mark everything. Place iitems like bolts, sensors etc. in sandwich bags and mark the bags.

I also recommend you place the motor at top dead center on the #1 cylinder. Do this by following the #1 plug wire to the cap, mark the position of #1 on the body of the dist. with a sharpie. Then turn the motor over until the rotor lines up with the mark. Go to your balancer and see if the timing mark on the balancer is lined up with the 0 mark on the pointer. If not turn the balancer until they are aligned.

One other thing, place a piece of masking tape on the firewall right behind the dist cap. Place a mark on the cap that lines up with a mark on the masking tape. This way when you put the distributor back in, line up all the marks and the timing should be virtually dead on.

Also, take pics of the motor before you dismantle. These will prove invaluable. Just take your time and be patient.