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That all sounds like an awful lot of stuff.
Bork III,
It is a lot of stuff to address. But it is a step-by-step process. First you do x and then you do y. When you are finished, the top end of your engine will be good to go for another 100k miles. Everything you need to do can be accomplished by anyone of average abilities. Some things may not be self-evident but you should be able to figure it out. When you encounter a sensor or connection or actuator that you do not know the function of, find out what it does and how it does it. That information may come in handy sometime later.
If you take it to a shop, they will do the absolute minimum disassembly necessary to replace the head gasket. Because they don't want a bring back, they will ensure the head is reusable, or call you to get permission to send it the machine shop with the understanding that it will add to the final cost. They won't address the general maintenance items that are so much easier to do while the engine is undressed. They won't address the water pump unless you specifically asked them to do so.
Do you have a shop manual? You will need it. Read through the procedures a few times. If you don't understand something, look at the car to see if you can make sense of what they are telling you. If it still makes no sense, ask here at the Brickboard. Pay particular attention to the routing of vacuum lines and electrical wires. (Now would be a good time to renew the vacuum lines too.)
Make sure you have all the parts you will need before you begin, nothing stops a work in progress like a lack of materials. Take pictures at each stage of disassembly. Keep good notes. If you need a tool you don't have, buy or rent it before you need it. Clean everything while you are in there; it may reveal something that needs attention before you put it back together.
--
Mr. Shannon DeWolfe -- (I've taken to using Mr. because my name tends to mislead folks on the WWW. I am a 51 year old fat man ;-) -- KD5QBL
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