Gettin all the info before I dig into a cam install. Whats the best way? I heard turning the crank until the piston moves up. But how do you know if the piston is up on that set of valves?

 

use compressed air into each cylinder to hold the valves up.

 

If you installed the cam & timing chain correctly, dot to dot, #6 piston will be at TDC. Start there and and proceed to the next cylinder in the firing order after you rotate the crank 90*. 2 full revolution of the crank will get you through all 8 cylinders. To double check, look at the lifters. At TDC, they will be down. Maybe somebody else as a better method.

 

Your valves are held in place by the valve springs so they can't drop. You'll need to remove your push rods (loosen or remove your rocker arms to remove the push rods) and remove your lifters (intake has to come off). The only issue with valves dropping is if you're replacing your valve springs.

 

There are cam and valve spring swap guides on my Tech Page if you want some reference material.