ended up deciding not to replace the water pump, wouldve driven the cost up too much.

doing the thermostat, replacing the pipe, and straightening some condensor fins though. Taylor Durdan over at S&R has a sweet tool to check if there is any exhaust present in the coolant and he said he would test it for me when I take it in next.

I would like to be able to replace each part separately to test, however I don't ahve the money to go out to the track 3 or 4 times *just* to see if one part works. I would rather replace all the possible problems (also takes care of some preventative maintenance) and run it.