Is it hard to do on my 91' pickup? Can a person with good basic mechanic skills do it?

Any special tools needed?

I have a Hayne manual for it, but I wanted to know what to look for and what is needed.

Thanks for your advice!

 

It's not a particularly hard job at its most basic level. If all you want to do is bolt in the new camshaft, you can do the job by just removing the valve cover and getting to the parts.

If you want to do it more correctly, and ensure the camshaft is degreed properly, that involves a little bit more and the use of a degree wheel on the crankshaft.

You should examine your rocker arms and ensure they are not damaged on their lobe riding surface. If they are, this can quickly destroy the new camshaft.

If you are going with a radical lump stick, there can be some rocker arm lubrication issues due to the new travel of the rocker arms. If you're going with a mild camshaft, this isn't a problem.