I did it without the special tools. Just make sure you don't lose your timing!!!! Mark the gears and the camshaft so you know how it goes back together! Also note that as soon as you get the chain off one of the camshafts, the other will spin and most likely jump timing! So be sure to mark them all! I only marked the cam I was removing, and low and behold, the other one jumped timing. Which meant I had to use a dial indicator to get it back. yucky. Try to avoid that. Other than that goof, it was a straight-forward procedure. Just follow the procedure and you'll be okay.