It just sounds like he doesn't want to work on an old vehicle and he's making up excuses not to. There's nothing difficult about the relocation plate- - - -it replaces the rear plate on a 216/early 235 water pump and requires drilling/tapping two holes in the front of the block. I taught high school auto mechanics for over 30 years, and just about any of my first-year rookies could have accomplished that job in a couple of hours.
Jerry

"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!