my 2000 cherokee has the cracked 0331 head and i am in the slow process of removing the cylinder head and i have 2 questions

my fuel rail has a rectangle clamp looking thing over were the disconnect tool goes. how do i remove that piece of metal to remove the fuel rail from the line
also
any tips for getting to the lower intake/exhaust manifold bolts?

this is my first time doing a cylinder head swap/ head gasket any other advice would be much appreciated

 

also i plan on replacing the lifters while im in there but i never done that before either

 

You need a fuel line disconnect tool, its only a couple of bucks from a parts store. Its easy to use, you slide it in and it spreads the metal clamps that holds on to the fuel line.

Those bolts are just plain hard, best bet would be to try disconnecting the mini cats from the headers to get some more room to work. I know I ended up just pulling the head with the intake and headers still attached because I have big hands and its hard for me to get em.

 

i know about the disconnect tool but my jeep has this like little metal clamp looking thing than clamps to each side of the line. can i just bend it off with a pair of pliers or something? also how hard is it to remove the head with both manifolds still on it must have weighed a billion pounds

 

Slide that lock toward the rail and just pry it off. As for the lower manifold bolts, a 6" extension, a swivle socket, and a lot of cussing. The torque spec for those bolts is 25 ftlbs. Make sure you get the gasket mating surface clean of the old gasket, oil, and coolant before istalling the new gasket. When you replace the lifters, make sure to inspect the old ones carefully for any abnormal wear. If something looks fishy or weird, you may want to think about replacing the cam too. New lifters on a buggered cam will cause you to do the job twice.