OFF WITH THE HEADS!
My buddy Seth working on bolting a chain to the driver's side cylinder head.
After using a block of wood and a hammer to unseat the head from the block (the block of wood was to keep the head from being hit directly with the hammer, and we tapped fairly lightly), the head's ready to come out. Here, you can see us beginning to put tension on the chain.
Here, you can see the pole that Seth and I wrapped around the chain. In this picture, the head hasn't quite come all the way off yet, but we're almost there.
The head is off the block! I had the luxury of standing outside of the truck; due to my bad back, Seth volunteered to get in the engine compartment, and therefore has to deal with climbing out while I hold as much of the weight as I'm capable of. I'm lucky that I didn't herniate a third lumbar disc in the process. Actually, for not having an engine hoist, this worked very well. That 8 or so foot pole was truly a godsend for this.
Removing external parts and accessories
Removing cylinder heads
Heads, gaskets, and the block after head removal