I'd leave the trays alone. If doing the cam swap, it's relatively easy. To change the lifter trays, you have to remove the heads. Then....you're getting into more work. On these engines, you can change cams without even removing the lifters, just rotate the cam a few times after undoing the timing chain, should stay up in the trays. When re-assembling you have to give the lifters a solid push down to get them to go back down on the cam lobes.

 

like i said im also doin springs,push roods, retainers and the cam..... so the heads can stay on for all this?

 

Yes. No need to remove the heads for the springs, just get a tool to pump the cylinder with air, and a tool remove the springs. The Crane tool is the best, but pricey.

 

if you dont have an air compressor you can buy some rope and fill the cylinder with rope to keep the valve from dropping

 

you might want to get something to hold the lifter up, either the magnets or dawl rod method. The last thing you want is a lifter falling out then you have a lot more work on your hands, lol

 

Mine had 60,000 miles on it when I did my GT2-3, and I had to snap the lifters back down on the cam when I put the pushrods back in.

 

When I did my cam swap I just spun the cam both ways a couple times. Then I slide the wood dowel in and continued spinnin the cam until they were all the way in. When theyre in your lifters wont fall.