Waterpump replacement info for New Diesel owner

[AJCONLINE]

Hello all, just got a new job which was quite boring to start. This website (and my new diesel) got me through the first few days with ease. You guys have so much interesting info here it's awesome! I really appreciate it all!
Anyway, I just bought a '99 F250 7.3L Diesel w/ 89k on it (My first truck and my first diesel!). After day one I lubed up what I thought was a simple squeaky pully wheel with PB Blaster and apparently uncovered a very squeaky water pump which wasn't very bad until the PB application. Sooo, I'm going to have to replace the water pump soon and I've got a few questions reguarding that...
Does anyone have any tidbits of info concerning any problems I may run into or helpful tips I may need before starting this job? (I'm mechanically inclined just looking for any useful help being that it seems that you guys know WAY more than I ever will with these trucks.) Also, does anyone recommend a reman water pump over a new one at an $80 difference? (I'm all about saving money if I'm not cutting corners) Can I and should I replace Green antifreeze with the orange stuff, if so, is it as simple as draining the radiator to remove ALL the antifreeze from the system? Do I need Blue gasket stuff? Should I replace the T-Stat at the same time? Anything else is also greatly appreciated. Thanks again all I'm sure I'll have more ?'s to come, Peace