I GOT IT!! 4.5 Head freed

[joshhol]

It's all but off, the whole b$%$*, head cam and all.

All head bolts are undone, I picked up on the EX manifold and woosh! dumped a bunch of coolant all over the garage floor. (I underestimated the importance of the block drains ) That and they are a PITA to locate and access.

I've left the physical removal for tomorrow, will have a few words with the dropped valve.
I mistook the 10mm recessed water passageway plugs for head bolts and may have jacked them up a little bit but other than that, everything went surprisingly well. All head bolts cooperated, did not strip. Everything came apart as it should, what a good feeling that is.

Thanks to all who have helped through this experience.

What's the story on piston crown cleaning? Like what kind of cleaner and what's the correct tool/procedure for the job?