removing valve springs
If the heads are off, your options are wide open. Go to Autozone and rent their compressor, it won't cost you a dime if you bring it back. The easiest one I used was Crane's dual compressor but is expensive and not really needed since you don't have to worry about fitting something small under the cowl to get to the springs. The old fashioned lever type is an option but can do more damage than it's worth. Never liked that one. Checkout this site for some tips.
http://www.ls1howto.com/index.php?article=23
http://www.ls1howto.com/index.php?article=23
With the heads out the best way to compress the springs is with a pnematic compressor that pushes on the bottom of the valve and the spring retainer. It looks like a gigantic "G" . It wouldn't be cheap to own one, but I think its pretty cheap at a machine shop. They could do all the springs in less than 5 min.
