Water pump replacement in 1996 Chevy K1500 Truck

[GeforceXtreme]

I am helping my buddy change his water pump in a 1996 Chevy K1500 Full size truck with 4WD and 5.0 motor.

I have never done a water pump on a 5.0 Chevy so wondering if anyone else has and is it hell?

A friend of mine said I may have ot take all the accessories off the motor to get access to the water pump. However my buddy called a mech shop and they only quoted 2 hours to do a water pump on the truck.

Any tips and suggestions for doing one?

We are going to drain the old coolant and replace the thermostat as well (where is this located as?)

[Honduh]

they are simple. right in front of the motor. shouldn't take more than an hour to do. All you have to do is take off the fan/shroud and belt and hoses.