etex

I vote for holding the flywheel, but there are other options.

lex2001

I have used the breaker bar method. You don't start the car, just bump the starter with a quick turn of the key. However I did find a safer way on an SC forum. Harbor Freight sells an air gun called the Central Pneumatic Earthquake for about $89. I used that on the second timing belt I changed and it worked like a charm. I was using a 13 gallon air compressor and it had more than enough power.

91LS400vgb

I bought a Schley 64300 Lexus/Toyota Harmonic Damper Holding Tool for $56 to hold the harmonic balancer in place so that I could loosen the bolt, and then later torque it down to 181 ft-lb with a torque wrench. It comes with two bolts to hold it onto the hb, and then you attach a 1/2 breaker bar to it.

deanshark

Put the bar in the flywheel. It may take a couple trys to get it to where it stays in for ya, but you know how to do it. I hate hearing about people using a breaker bar and turning over the engine. What if it slips off and goes flying and smashes something. Plus, by the time ya get to that bolt you already have the battery out. When you do the camshaft seals you have to jam the pulley somehow, you don't need to buy their tool. But be careful, they're on tight. Glad to hear ya got the WP gasket figured out. Take your time with it, it's not that bad.

chadr

I tried the hf earthquake 1/2 impact and it didn't work for my crank pulley bolt. Then I went to the long breaker bar and flywheel stopper method. Remove the small flywheel cover and have someone turn the engine and find where you can wedge the head of a flywheel bolt against the transmission housing. I used a short 1/2" round rod cut to maybe 2". Removing the pulley bolt and torquing it back was no problem. If you want to try the impact, go with at least a hf 3/4".

For the cam sprockets just have a helper hold a socket and extension on one of the small bolts to the rear timing cover.