wow, what a job that was !
took all day, Im certain with a lift it would have taken much less time. probably 1/2 of the 7 hours we spent yesterday.

for the record
the kit I got came with no gaskets, and Im afraid I had no experience with timing chains so I was unaware the timing cover would need a gasket as well. I was also unaware I would basically do an oil change after.
I honestly thought it was as simple as removing the timing cover and putting the new chains on after lining everything up correctly, like you do with a belt :/
anyways, all is up and running, temps are a little more consistent with what they were before, but it most definitely runs far better. better torque, better idle, nice and smooth acceleration. and no more rattle/clunk coming from the engine.
the tensioner came out in pieces (the spring loaded bolt) and had completely failed. everything else looked pretty good. you could see some wear in the guides, but none on the teeth of the gears.
we reused the waterpump sprocket as it was in excellent condition. new water pump is, unfortunately, a plastic based impeller, but so was the one we took out. which, BTW, looked really good, Im guessing it isnt bad so Ill clean it up and keep it for future use after going over it as best I can.

thank you all for the advice and help. it truly is appreciated.

 

 

Those rubber O-ring gaskets are supposed to be reuseable. The paper gasket for the water pump hole is suspect.