I divide the job into parts.
Disconnect bat...drain radiator...drain oil and leave catch can under pan with plug out.
Remove the wiring....don't worry about where it goes back (unless you've changed some connectors) as it'll just fall back into place, kinda, and the connectors only go to their intended sender.
Top of engine....as someone said...remove the complete manifold and all it's crap in one piece. I ALWAYS put bolts back where they come out of....and tape the threads if necessary to keep them in their correct holes.
Front of engine. Ditto on bolts and the AC compressor you just tie-tape over to the side without disconnecting the lines. (This is assuming it's the driver's side gasket). If it ain't, leave this stuff on and disconnect the turbo garbage. I leave the turbo on the manifold and just let it dangle against the fender.
Depending on the side remove that ex. manifold and you now have the head (s) left.
While I remove the wires at the back of the pass side head AFTER the head is loose I put a small piece of plywood under the head to protect it and the block.
Clean the deck and all the gasket crap. I pour a quart or 2 of oil down the valley to wash any bits of gaga left in there. You will get water into the pan when you remove the heads so the cleanser oil will help wash it out.
Clean, clean, clean. I use alcohol to clean all the gasket surfaces as a final cleanser. Head gaskets go on dry...I still think the stockers are the best for stock engines but they may be discontinued. Don't reuse the stock head bolts if they were stock. Get ARP and put the white sealant and the lube on them. Torque to spec in the proper order. I start in the middle and work out, oppositely. And in 10 lb increments. Each person has their own opinion regarding the correct amount of torque...I've used 70, 75 and 80. Take your pick...lol.
When you put the intake gasket on, again, I like stock.. put a small dab of whatever color RTV you're using into each corner of the rubber pieces where they touch the heads. I also smear a thin layer of the RTV onto the intake gasket sealing surfaces.
Bolt everything back on.
It used to take me about 8 hours....3 to take everything off and 5 to put it back on. But that was when I use to drink so it was probably a one hour job in reality.
