I pulled the cam and installed it exactly how the FSM would tell you to do it with all factory parts except with a different part number cam.

If your truck is fully functional you could pull the timing cover, valve covers and rockers, spin the cam to lift all the lifters out of the way and swap cams without even pulling heads (if you are swapping cams because of a flat cam you need to pull the heads to replace lifters). The only parts you would have to buy (on a properly running truck/car) would be a tube of rightstuff to reseal the timing cover and the cam. The valve cover gaskets are usually totally re-useable as is the timing cover gasket with some right stuff in the corners for safety. The water pump don't even need removed from the timing cover. If you pull the drain plugs on the side of the block and drain the radiator you would not even have to change the oil and you could re-use the antifreeze, if you don't pull the drain plugs you will get some water in the oil when you remove the timing cover.

I did cheat a little, I stuck the handle of a 3/8th crapsman ratchet under the crank gear before un bolting the cam phaser to hold the chain in the same place on the crank gear and I marked the cam phaser and chain with a scratch awl so I could be sure they were back in the same place when re-assembled.

I have a dissasembled cam phaser I checked piston to valve clearance with that cam on a motor on the stand I am building with no head gasket and lifters shimmed solid and with the cam advanced all the way nothing touched and with it retarded all the way nothing touched and for good measure I centered it and checked and no pistons feeling up valves there either.

I would recomend new springs as I do see them start breaking ocasionally after about 150,000 miles. I used new 5.7 springs just to see what would happen as they had plenty of spring pressure and clearance and were only like $50 for a set from the dealer.