i am in the midst of a D.I.Y. head gasket replacement and seek advice.

i have removed the passenger side head but the cylinders lifted 
partially out with the head until i could separate them. is that base 
o-ring now going to leak or isn't it too sensitive to being disturbed?

also, is there anyway to re-install the cylinder over the piston 
rings without having to take the pistons off?  if there is i'll 
replace that base seal but i *really* don't want to remove the 
pistons with the engine in the car.

i must thank Tim Smith for his excellent post on this repair, it has 
served well as a guide.  i'll post a summary when i'm all done but i 
gotta whip this thing first.

--dan