thanks for the feedback everyone.
i am fabricating a puller to get the old timing gear off. it's essentially a micro hydrolic press that does the same thing as the technique used in the shop manual and the best part is it won't require the use of a hammer. i would like to avoid pounding on the cam too much but if the puller doesn't work, i may have to resort to that.
i assume that the camshaft is hardened?! i was looking at the end of the cam shaft and was wondering if drilling and tapping threads into the end would enable using a bolt to "press" the new gear back onto the shaft end, that, and i could imploy the heat option to assist with getting the new gear back on.
i have most of the front exposed (grill, rad, etc.) is off already, but i really don't want to disturb any more engine parts than i have to. i pulled the pan off to get to those two bolts that hold the timing cover on and was overwhelmed by how nice the condition of the bottom end was in. clean and beautiful. like jewelry. minimal sludge in the pan and shining a flashlight into the bottom end of the cylinder bores revealed absolutely gorgeous cylinder walls. no scoring or play as far as i can tell right now. just amazing when you consider this truck has over 100,000 miles on it and it is has never been apart before.
again, thanks for the feedback. i will let you know how things work out.
