Hello All,

Although I have been lurking in the wings on this forum for a while this is my first serious post. My SO has a 1990 740 GLE that needs a new head gasket. I have had this confirmed by two seperate mechanics (plus, coolant in oil, oil running down side of block, etc...) Car is an automatic and has 162,xxx miles on it. No smoke out of exhaust and runs like a champ. I have checked the 700 archives and FAQ sections here for tests to also confirm. I have NOT done a compression check.

So far I have removed fan, shroud, belts, timing / balance chaft covers, Valve cover, etc... and have engine at TDC on #1. (as well as negative battery terminal dis-connected) My question is: Is there an alternative tool to the Volvo one (big $ - ?) to hold the camshafts when releasing tension on the camshaft holders / brackets? I have access to a full shop and am thinking of creating something out of angle iron and clamps (b/c they are free) so as not to crack / break camshaft hold-down brackets. I plan to un-torque head bolts in reverse order as explained in several posts to this site and have a machine shop lined up to mill / recondition the head. I just need a solution to getting the camshafts out. Thanks in advance for any help.