Haynes manual problems, help TDC

Ok well im about to start my headgasket install. And being completley stupid for trying to do this on my own without much engine experience, but also completely way to poor to pay the 5-600$ for it. anyways so i was reading and REreading my haynes manual and the question of WHERE do i align my crankshaft, to remove the timing belt you place it a 1/2 tooth Before TDC, but then when removing the Cam shafts you place it 3 teeth before TDC, and then when doing the headgasket its supposed to be at EXACTLY TDC, so im REALLY confused as to which ones i use and dont use or what


also i have another question, i bought a copper headgasket but...when i was talking to a mechanic about it he was saying why because they tend to leak, so do i need to adjust any of my headbolts torqueto be tighter, or use a special type of gasket sealant?


and i conclude probly my first decent post =P

I haven't a clue about non turbo motors, but if i understood it correctly, you don't need to remove the camshafts. I also just took a look at the vfaq: http://vfaq.com/mods/timingbelt-2G-NT.html

and it looks like you line everything up exactly.

About your metal headgasket. You can probably expect it to leak real quick if your head is warped. You need to take it to a machine shop and get it perfectly flat. Especially if your headgasket blew due to overheating, you can expect it to be warped.

What the manual is trying to say is to put the timing marks slightly off because when you tighten everything up it will move slightly. The most important thing is to make sure everything lines up exactly when the belt is on. At least that's how the turbo car is. Also, I wouldn't recomend a copper headgasket unless you are planning to run a lot of boost. Copper headgaskets almost inevitably seep some because of the relative hardness of the gasket. A Multilayer steel or even a stock headgasket is usually adequate for most applications. If you are replacing the headgasket it's probably a good idea to have the head checked for warpage. If it is warped it will just leak again. Also, don't reuse the headbolts. They are torque to yield (on the 2g) which means they stretch out when they are installed and will not hold as well once they are re-installed. If your running a MLS or copper headgasket you probably want a higher torque set of head bolts like ARP.

well, the only strong headgasket the guy at dynoflo recomended was copper so i bought it. i hope to run boost eventually, and as for the headbolts i already bought some new ones.fel-pro i believe, also in the manual it says to remove the camsim guessing its because the headbolts are underthem but if not i wont remove them. and i already planned on taking my head into a resurfacing shop. so thanks a bunch guys