I got done with my front brakes yesterday and finally started working on the valve covers. Unfortunately, I keep finding new problems with the car that will need to be resolved down the road. First it was the sway bars, now it's a leaking Power Steering Pump (or hose, I can't tell).

Anyway, here is my progress so far.

Front Valve Cover




Got the intake, the throttle body, and some of the wiring/piping out of the way



But now I need to figure out what size Allen key I need for these bolts

 

i suggest u get some hex sockets for those.

 

Well I need a Hex stud, because the outside of the bolt is rounded.

The right size turned out to be 5/16".

An 8mm or a 9mm might also fit but I only found a 7mm which I need to return.

 

If I remember correctly, they were 10mm. It has been a few years since...

 

I think it's actually 8mm, because that's what 5/16" converts to. And my socket was pretty snug

 

be very careful with those hex bolts..they strip easy.

what i would do is get some penetrating oil on them a day before u start to do the job, and then drive the car and re-apply penetrating oil.
and then drive the car before you start the job when the engine is warm and spray it down with brake cleaner very quickly to get the bolt cool while the manifold still warm.
and then try to take it off and it'll probably budge

it's a hard bolt to take off.

 

Well I already took them off and it wasn't bad at all. I just sprayed some wd40 and waited a few seconds before turning it with a breaker bar. The breaker bar worked perfectly because I could apply more constant pressure at a 90 degree angle.