The factory crank bolt is reinserted so he can spin the motor over to TDC. Next, three 10mms are removed for the cam gear. | 
Four more come out for the thrust plate. | 
With the thrust plate off, two water pump bolts are screwed into the cam. |
With the COMP cam clean and ready to go, he likes to spin and tap the factory cam lightly toward the back to make sure none of the lifters are loose enough to fall (if you lose a lifter, you have to pull the pan and sometimes the K-member). Marks deftly pulls the old cam out... | 
...and slips the new one in immediately, lubed with engine oil. | 
A dab of red Loctite is used on the four thrust plate bolts and three cam gear bolts. The thrust plate bolts are snugged down, and then torqued to 22 ft-lbs. |
Dan uses a longer water pump bolt to line up the sprocket with the cam; once the three bolts are installed, they are torqued to 22 ft-lbs. | 
The old crank seal is popped out as we'll be using a new one. This should be done as preventative maintenance (unless you enjoy tearing your engine apart when the old seal starts leaking). | 
A top quality head gasket was crucial to this project being done right: The AFR and Speed Inc. crews requested .040-inch Cometic MLS gaskets in a 4.060 bore size (PN H1518040S, $159/pair). They are made out of a "spring" stainless steel--they can withstand a higher temperature and will hold a torque very well. The spring effect is kind of like using a lock washer and prevents the bolts from backing out under high cylinder pressure. The .040s requested for our AFRs are a bit thinner than a standard .051 LS1 gasket for better quench. |