While we are on this topic... what level of skill does someone need "under the hood" to be able to change the head gaskets? I personally have very little engine skills, but do you think it could be done with the manual and the forums? Just curious...
You need to be fairly skilled. And, you'll need a lot of tools. Alot. Some of which are specialized. And, it's a huge help to have the FSM. Also, you need to be patient, and creative. And not rush. Don't plan on doing this job over a weekend on a car that needs to get you to work on Monday. I'm sure some have done it that way, but it would be brutal.
I'm pretty handy, and have ALL the tools (and manuals), and I spent a week on mine working pretty steadily. But, I replaced a bunch of parts that weren't related directly to the H/G job "since I was there". Things like motor mounts, plugs, wires, belts, idlers, O2 sensors, and lots of other things. And, I had about $850 in the project with all the ancillary parts I bought. But, it turned out great. And I spent some time detailing along the way, which absorbs considerable time.
If you don't have full confidence in your abilities to pull the job off, take it somewhere. That's better than taking in a half-done basket case to be sorted out. But, if you decide to "go for it", keep your typing fingers in good shape, and search here, and ask questions. You won't be the first to go through this!
JD