How difficult was the job? and thank you for all the info!
Also, would there be any benefit to installing a larger CAM? I haven't looked into it, but if possible and not too much extra labor I would want to install a small supercharger but that may be too complicated and unnecessary. (have to research it and see what others have done).
I definitely need to remove the AFM lifters... For the 5 years I have been driving in Manuel 5 mode to avoid cylinder deactivation. I'll be looking into a tuner soon rather than going with a Range unit.
It's hard to convey difficulty without understanding your capabilities and tool availability. I started wrenching on stuff and learning from my dad around 6 or 7 years old. I'm 43 now, and I work on Hydroelectric generation and pumping facilities. It was fairly easy for me, and I did it in about a week in the evenings after getting home from work. I do have Techangle torque wrenches to assist with all of the TTY fasteners. It was also the third time I performed this work. My personal L92 was first, I did the left bank on another friend's Tahoe (twice) when an afm lifter stuck on him and I couldn't get it released. He brought me four Chinese AFM lifters the first time, and only one of them actually pumped up and passed oil down the pushrod. The second time I bought all of the parts, and went with OEM lifters to insure I wouldn't do it a third time.
I have seen information that the timing chain is rated to roughly 200k miles. I always replace the timing set if the vehicle is a keeper, and both heads are off. That being the case, it is only a few more bolts to get the cam out. Of course the radiator will need to be removed for cam clearance, but that is only a couple of lines and four bolts. You need a puller to remove the lower sprocket. I use the old sprocket, a large washer, and the crank pulley installer to press the new one on. There can be a huge benefit to instaling a larger cam, but for proper driveability and maximum performance it will need to be tuned. You will need an alignment tool to center the front cover with the crank so it will seal with the dampener. There is a trick to do it by leaving the bolts loose, and driving on the dampener to center the cover. I suggest spending some time on youtube looking at some of these operations prior to attempting them. LS specific tools I purchased are a simple flywheel locking tool, dampener puller, dampener installer, and a long thread chaser from ARP to clean the head bolt holes.
I started out with a Diablosport tuner on my L92 Denali. Even stock I had the occasional high load low RPM detonation around town. It was worse with the Diablosport, so I paid for a Lew Tune. Went back and forth with Lew for a month or so, and the detonation problem was way worse. This was on 91 octane and octane boost added to the tank. I replaced the heads to verify exactly how much carbon was in the cylinders, and just for peace of mind as this is the road trip vehicle. There was no real carbon buildup, and no change in the detonation after the work. I bought HP Tuners and read out the LewTune from the ECM. The timing was boosted across the high octane map, and the knock retard was disabled. This was the reason for the detonation. I tuned it myself and the results were incredible. There is alot to be found in tuning the trans, especially on the 6L80E. I recommend finding a reputable tuner in your area and trying them out. Canned tunes and remote tuning via email is a mixed bag at best.
Expect to be torn down like this:
