So I finally got my truck back... The story starts with my truck having 163k and needing a timing chain, I took a friday that was dead @ work and put one in it and managed to pinch the head gasket when replacing the timing cover. I didn't realize it when i did it so I had the truck warming up and replacing coolant and POP!. then she started bubbling thru the radiator. I didn't have the time to do this @ work bc I was booked for the next week. So I take it to a local guy who has a cheap labor rate....a few days go by and its time to pick the truck up, I get there and owe them $500 I only had $400 on me so I told him i would be out the next day to settle up. I get in the truck and wow it doesn't sound so hot, but I go ahead and take it. I thought that I mite be able to adjust it out with the DIS. But i get 3 miles from his place and it has a dead miss, then when I get close to work I have to downshift in a turn and it dies... finally get to work and then pull the dipstick just to check it out. What did I find you ask, well, does anyone got milk? I did. After I drove the truck for 11 Miles with over a gallon of coolant in the oil!

The next day after work I stay until about 9:45 that night working on the truck, I found that the cam gear was off by 2 teeth and the dis. was out by another 3 teeth.... I put it back in time and set base timing, fixed my exhaust where they cut it instead of taking the manifold off the head, truck runs great til it warms up then it has a dead miss, installed new plugs, wires, ect.. The same problem, adjust the vavles and still the same. so the next day I call them and explain whats goin on and he wants me to bring it out and I said no and you aren't gettin the other $100 either, bc they did the tiest job ever and being a Tech. I would never let a customers vehicle leave in the condition that my truck was in, he gets pissed and tells me not to ever come back and i said NO PROBLEM. I take it to another guy that I know bc I cant figure it out, I supsect valves bc I'm not getting any comp on #1and not as much as I should on the other 3. He pulls the head and sends it to the machine shop, turns out that every intake valve was bent and 1 exhuast valve was trashed bc my #1 piston ate it.. I looked @ the pistons and they werent hurt just little nicks, get new valves and 2 wks after he got it he calls to tell me it's done, so $1100 dollars later including the $400 from the first up, my truck runs like a champ with 164K on it now! now its just got to last another 5 yrs at least.... and I need gears and front end parts to come soon..and hopefully a full tube bumper... any one got gears for cheap 4.88 or 5.13 or 5.30s would be fantastic!!!! Sorry for rambling I just wanted to vent!