Keep in mind I live in a small town with three auto parts stores and at none of them can I just walk in and buy whole new cables.
I destroyed the threads on the positive battery terminal today and went to all three stores. I ended up having to buy the bolt part of the terminal in hopes that I could just replace the bolt.
My question is, how the hell do I get the old one out and put the new one in? Is it even possible?

 

They should just pop out and pop the new one in if you are talking about the side mounted posts that screw into the battery.

The Trickster!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Thanks man. I'll try it out. It'd be a whole hell of a lot less hassle than ordering new cables and waiting. This is the only thing keeping me from firing the car up.
BTW, everything's good to go now. I exchanged the battery at Wal-Mart yesterday and this morning, I stripped the threads right off the bolt. I tell ya, if it isn't one thing, it's another.
Wonder if I can make a small press out of something...

 

You don't need a press, the only thing that holds it in is that rubber boot over the terminal lug. Take a small screwdriver or pick and pry it out carefully so you don't tear the boot. Simple!!!!!!!!!

The Trickster!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Yeah, I got them out with a pair of pliers.

Now the car's doing the same crap it was doing before. It runs fine and dandy with the vavle covers off, but soon as I put them on and try to fire it up, it just cranks and cranks. I can't find any shorted wires or anything around the valve covers that vould be causing it. The only thing touching the valve covers is the ground strap at the back of the passenger head. It's obviously something to do with the valve covers, but once again, I can't find the problem.
This is what it was doing to me before. Any ideas on this one at all?

 

Try relocating that ground strap to a different location or move it so it doesn't touch the valve covers and see how it does.

The Trickster!!!!!!!!!!

 

I didn't think that could cause a problem.
Right now it's routed in front of the transmission dipstick and lays flat against the valve cover. I'll re-route it behind and see what happens.
I rechecked again and that's the only thing coming in contact with it. I checked for any wires piched between the cover and the head and nothing there either.

 

...and she's at it again...
I re-routed the ground strap, no fire. I also took both valve covers back off and no fire again. It was running perfectly until I put the covers on.

 

Man, I was hoping you would have that thing running and be out cruising the streets tonight and I'm sure you had hoped so also. Are you saying that it won't crank with the valve covers on, or that it won't crank now with the valve covers on or off?

 

It's not cranking with the valve covers on or off. I did tighten them back up 1/4 turn before I put the covers back on. I'm going to loosen them up again and see if she runs again. I had backed them off 1/4 turn when I took the covers off and that was when she started. I think my whole problem goes back to the beginning when I tried to adjust to 0 lash by ear. The car ran before that. I've never done it before or had anyone that could come over and show me how to do it, so I don't know if I've got it right. After the cam and head swap, I had originally found them by adjusting x,x,&x with #1 at TDC then x,x,&x with #6 at TDC. Maybe I should start all over and do it that way again.
I'll go outside and loosen them all back 1/4 turn again after I finish this bratwurst. I'll report back later.

 

Okay, I loosened them all 1/4 turn and it's wanting to fire up after about three seconds of turning over.
Maybe tomorrow when I get home from work, I'll put #1 at TDC and start all over again with the method I told you about before.