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From: 1994 LT1 Coupe 6-speed with FX3 & 2000 LS1 Vert 6-Speed with F45 Hunterdon County, NJ
Albeit too late for the battery selection, hopefully you purchased a battery which is a true 'maintenance free' battery (e.g. sears, or ACDelco), their chemical composition is different than non-maintenance free batteries, and suposedly their charging requirements are also different and matched to our car's charging system.
One hint on re-installing the fender panel, MAKE SURE it is pushed inward and not contacting the hood (look at the passenger side for the gap/aligmnent around the wheel well liner). Otherwise the vibration of the hood will wear away some of the hood and the fender panel (as happened on ours B4 we got it by some dealership mechanic).