OK the water pump crapped out, I was gonna do the Optispark anyway and I am leaking oil from the crank seal. Time to get it all done, got the parts. I am medium skilled at working on cars. If fallow all the advise on this forum and the manual, can I do this job myself or will I be in way over my head? I have no time constraints, I can move at a snails pace. Or should I fork over the cash and have a shop do it? Be honest! After reading all the forums on the subject I feel like I can do it, but I am freaked out that I will screw something up, not have the right tool and have to tow it to a shop any way, or worse screw up the motor. My heart says you need to learn how to do this wussy, my head says have someone do it and know it's right, and be broke.

 

i didnt do the crank seal but i just did my opti and waterpump it was easy as f*ck honestly once i read on here how to do it, took me half an afternoon and i got it right the first try. i heard horror stories about it but it was really easy, i did it the hard way some say too, i pulled the radiator and fans completely out. and theres a thread on here about how to change the seals. btw what year is your lt1?

 

93 z28, so, if I put the opti on where the little knook lines up on the gear the rotor will be lined up right? did you remove the crank pully on yours?

 

yeah you have to remove the harmonic balancer. mine has the newer style opti with the dowel drive. someone on here will be able to tell you better and help you more, like i said my car has the newer style opti and ive never done one like yours so im not too sure.

 

I did the opti on a 95 Firebird and it wasnt too bad. Just a little tight in there to work. You should be able to handle it no problem.

 

not hard at all. are u sure its the front seal and not the front of the intake seal or the waterpunp shaft seal? its a good idea to change the water pump shaft seal anyways. both front seal and water pump seal can be changed without removing the timing cover. there is a write up in a sticky on the right way to install the water pump seal. if u dont get it right it can tear when installing. i did my last opti change in four hours. best time yet. lol. pick up a factory service manual for your yr. first thing i buy for a car.

 

Here's the aforementioned sticky on seal replacement from when I did mine: https://camaroforums.com/forum/lt1-lt4-tech-9/installing-water-pump-drive-seal-43601/
If you have mechanical skills, the opti replacement isn't a difficult job, just time consuming. The opti can only go on the shaft one way, so it's impossible to screw up unless you try to force it where it doesn't belong. Another smart thing would be to upgrade the new opti and add a vent kit to it (which is one reason why the old style craps out), unless you're getting an MSD which is already vented. Here's a good write up on making yours vented: http://www.corvettefever.com/howto/16758/index.html
And here's info on how to r&r the crank hub: http://www.lt1engine.com/tech/remove...lt1-crank-hub/
btw, after removing the three bolts, the crank pulley is only (supposed to be) a snug fit on the hub, but rust and age tends to weld them together. Soaking them with PB Blaster, and rapping the back side of the pulley (from side-to-side) with a block of wood and hammer will eventually knock the pulley off. After cleaning the rust off the hub and pulley, the pulley will slip right onto the hub.

 

Thanks for the help guys, nice to know I have a support team. I don't care if it takes me a week to do, I'm gonna do this. Yes I plan on changing all 3 seals on the timing cover, I bought a kit. I am replacing the opti with a non vented MSD. I don't think I will be changing to a vented this time around. While I have the front of the engine apart I am also replacing the AC compressor and coil.

Anything else I should concider replacing at this time? Thermostat? I have a new timing cover gasket with this kit, does it make any sense to pull the cover and replace that? Or would that be another can of worms?

I have done waterpumps and distributors on other cars, don't know why this one makes me nervious. But, it does! I will follow the previous posts to the letter and try to snap pics along the way. Crossing my fingers!

 

there are 3 seals in the front, the waterpump drive, the optispark drive and then the crank. You want to be sure that the crank seal (the bottom one) is actually leaking before replacing it. The waterpump and opti seal aren't bad but the crank seal is a bit more work.

 

The MSD unit IS vented, which is a nice touch. So, you will be upgrading your non-vented opti right away.
Might as well replace the thermostat too since the cooling system will be open.
I didn't bother messing with the timing chain cover or even the crank seal. They weren't leaking, and I decided to leave well enough alone. It only makes you nervous because it's "different". No brain surgery requirements are necessary, you'll figure it out. Take it apart, put it back together the same way, and double check for leftover parts!