you guys rock! i will pressure and combustion test today and post results, so ive never replaced the water pump and thermostat on this truck but i am considering it, how hard of a job is it on these trucks? On my jeep it was pretty simple..loosen fan bolts, loosen belt, take off fan blade, take off water pump, scrape gaskets, replace gaskets, replace thermostat, replace water pump. is this about how it goes? any hints i should know? i have a radiator and pump i was planning on putting in so i may just throw them in for whoever buys it. thanks again everybody!

 

and at that point guess i could just do the plenum too lol

 

Water pump is a piece of cake, that damn bypass hose can be a booger though. I'd replace it too. My tip is male sure you keep track of where the pump bolts came from cause it does matter where they go back. When you're putting it back together, put a little rtv on the 4 long bolts as they go into the water jacket and are known to leak. Also while you're right there I'd throw a new timing set in there, you'll be just a couple more bolts from it. You could do the plenum if you want. You're halfway there, if you got the coin I'd say go for it.