I finished early Saturday AM, finally sitting down enough to enjoy the weekend.
Friday PM/Saturday AM I replaced the water pump (Pierburg), thermostat and housing (Wahler), coolant (Zerex G-05), coolant tank cap (.04 suffix), and drive belt (Opti-Belt).
I had been getting a grinding noise that I had initially though to be the IMS, but the Durametric scan showed the timing to be spot-on, non-fluctuating, and well within spec. Phew. Deduced it was the pump. When I got under the car to take off the air deflector, I noticed a tiny coolant drip, and afterward the corrosion on the bottom of the pump. Definitely a bad bearing.
The job wasn't overly difficult at all. It could've been done entirely from underneath if I was able to access a few bolts from down there, otherwise the bulkhead panel could've stayed in place. Followed the Bentley manual on coolant fill procedures and all is right with the car.
Feels a touch more responsive, but that's probably all in my head.