JK, nope I've never done any of the front seals on my 245 (they scare me). Since I'm not all that experienced a mechanic, I figured I'd try to get the timing belt done before I tackle the seals. The timing belt job went fairly well for me, except I had some trouble getting the crank pulley aligned back onto the crank notch. Oh, and I almost forgot that I had a really hard time getting the fan blade nuts off without rounding off all the corners.

Make sure you get the crank pulley keyway aligned up properly with the notch, or you may have problems. But the counterhold tool worked very well for me. If my 245 wasn't a daily driver I would have probably tried the seals and water pump all at the same time like you're doing. I just didn't have the time or confidence to attempt them all at once. Let me know how it goes for you.