Water pump woes - some basic questions

I recently passed 20 years of continuous LT1 B-body ownership and somehow have never had a water pump or optispark fail on me. Looks like my run has ended finally with the failure of the water pump on my 96 RMW (V08 equipped). I know this is b-body basics, but I wanted to confirm a few things and ask a few questions of the knowledgeable here.

The scenario:
I took the car on an out of town trip and on the way back it started leaking coolant. I had some with me so, I put what I had in (about half a gallon) and kept going. The temp gauge stayed about 3/8 the whole time at highway speeds, which encouraged me to keep going to try to get back into town. When I did get into town, I stopped to buy more coolant and it was leaking but good. Temp still staying under half, but a few miles down the road it was creeping up. A few more miles and it was hitting 3/4. I stopped at a convenient place to see if adding more coolant would help. It hit the red at idle and I shut it down immediately. The coolant had just started to boil. I was still 33 miles from home, but at least I was in town and a tow was feasible and friends could take my family home.

- I know I pushed it, but I really didn't want to be dead on the side of the road out of town.  Is it likely I damaged the engine running it that far? Did overheating briefly at idle damage it?
-The car starts and runs fine with the engine cooled off. I drove it off the tow truck and into my garage.
-I've read the stories of failed water pumps taking out the optispark. If the car is running well does that mean the opti is still good?

I am pretty sure the optispark is original, as the car has 112k and I bought it at 78k. I'll be replacing the water pump, and I've heard it said often that you might as well replace the opti while you're there. Do you all agree that it would be worth it to replace a functioning 112k mile OEM opti? If so, what is the best brand and source?

Water pump questions:
-Reading through old posts, it sounds like the Gates water pump is a good way to go. ($60 from Rock Auto, they also have a $96 ACDelco).
-It also sounds like the water pump/optispark shaft seal should be replaced with the FEL-PRO Timing Cover Gasket TCS45956. Is that still the best source?
-Replacing that seal requires a special tool, which probably isn't available at this time for a reasonable cost. Is there a good way to make a homemade version or use a common tool? (Update: I found a couple tools on ebay for $17-37, one included the seal also. Would that be the best way to go then? Is that seal the only thing needed with the Felpro gasket kit, or do you still need all the other gaskets?)
-Replacing the pump sounds like a big but not gigantic job. Any good tips from those who have done it?

I don't rely on the car for daily transportation (as long as our other 2 cars are working), so I can take the time to get the right parts and prepare for the job. Any help is greatly appreciated!

I have owned LT-1 B Bodies for 23 years. Like you, I have never replace an OPTI and only one WP that was seeping but not bad. If the OPTI is causing you no problems, I wouldn't touch it. My first wagon was a 95 RMW, I never touched the OPTI or WP. Nor did I ever touch the tranny, alternator, starter, engine or rear end. Sold it at 236K and everything was still fine.

Tom,

I'm with Tom. One water pump in 20 years, that was 15 years ago on my SS. Never did the opti. Didn't do the shaft seal, either.

WP is easy to do. Do the air pump delete while you're at it if you haven't, it will save you time and give you space. THREE bolts per side... one is hidden by the air pump. Glue the gaskets on the pump before you install.

"Do the air pump delete while you're at it if you haven't, it will save you time and give you space."

I did do the air pump delete a few years ago, but never took all the equipment out. That a good idea to remove that while I'm at it.

I know they aren't LT1's but on my 89 Chevy Crew cab with the 350tbi I have ended up overheating it, (dad insisted on going home instead of letting me stop somewhere on the way to try to get some water to dump in temporarily), then on my 86 GMC crew cab with the old cast iron 454, neither one developed issues from the overheating though I made sure to shut them off as quickly as I could. In the case of the 86 the coolant systems was completely bone dry, no coolant at all, and that truck is still going strong.


I'm not as experienced with the optispark as the others but I would at least recommend replacing the cap and rotor, just make sure the new cap seals tight, as no matter what those are going to wear just like any other distributor, but otherwise leave it alone if its working, as I've looked at reviews for even brand new optisparks and their mixed, where it seems replacing it will be a hit or miss.