I'm a "shadetree mechanic", and have been even before I was driving, (over 35 years now). Up until two years ago, I never laid a finger on the LT1. I had to change my opti, plugs, wires, and the water pump while at it, so was thrown into the semi-deep end of the LT1's darkness right away. I gotta say though, it wasn't hard to do at all, just time consuming. And no leaks! I mean, to put on a new water pump and end up with a waterfall, that's just plain old schlock work, and the guy has no business working on cars. That after-leak wasn't an LT1 specific issue.