I've been working on my 401 nailhead for a while now, mostly here and there, just not enough time. But I've taken it down to the block to get everything cleaned and repainted, and I'm to the point of soon putting it back together. But while I'm this far down, I'd like to replace the water pump, as I have no idea how long the one that is on there has been on there. I've done some searching, and it seems like a lot of people have had problems with new and rebuilt units from the common parts houses failing prematurely, with sometimes catastrophic results. I'd like to avoid these problems if possible. What brand is the one people get that commonly fails? Is it Cardone? I see new and reman units for them at some of the parts houses online, but I just don't trust anything after my reading. I've read that there was a guy in Oregon who is apparently masterful at rebuilding these and other water pumps, and I was wondering if I could get contact info for him, as well as info on the prices he charges. Anyway, that's it for this long-winded post, so ta-ta for now!
Chris-I think a lot of the problem is that most pumps are aluminum and it's relatively thin around the bearing area-that, coupled with belts that are too tight add up to a short life. I'm not sure who makes the better pumps, but I've seen too many rebuilds that have had pitted/eroded fins ground down and 'squared up' to the point that they don't pump too well-
Chris, the guys name is Tony. The company name is: The Flying Dutchman 200 Davis Creek Rd. Selma, Or. 97538 541-597-4057 I have been using Tony for about 15 or so years now. Prices are reasonable, not least expensive, but quality is there. No problems in 15 yrs. I would think that's a good track record. Tom T.
Cris, you can beleive Tom,,,, the only thing that I would add is that if you can possibly get a water pump with a cast iron housing, do it,,,, they are stiffer and the pumps hold up better,,,, I once had a 455 stage engine that ran thru water pumps like a chicken eating corn and finally the smart old parts man that I had clued me in and got a borg warner cast iron pump and that was the last one i had to put on.
Tom turned me on to the Flying Dutchman and going with a reputable rebuild is the safe route to go. You just never know where the parts warehouses are getting their rebuilds. In a pinch when I was on the dyno I bought one from Napa, and as it turned out it was a steel case one! But I'm still going to send it off to be gone through by Tony anyway. As I have seen so far on the three nailhead water pumps I have seen fail and from others that I trust tell me to look for the following: 1. The impeller is pressed on the shaft. if this comes loose it will leak and the seal looses it's preload. If Loctite is used (it can melt because of heat) and/or the interference fit (especially if not correct) will allow it to slip off the shaft. A safe practice would be to tack weld the end of the shaft to the impeller. 2. Cheap bearings- What quality of bearings are used. There are many suppliers from worldwide sources. Need I say more... 3. Cheap seals- Same as #2 4. Overtightening of belts- I think this is too easy to do. I have been keeping my eye open for it being printed somewhere what the correct tension/deflection should be for this belt. How many mechanics actually use a tensiometer and a rule to tension a belt? Anybody have a guage on their elbow? 5. Corrosion- After a while they simply get erroded away by corrosion. A skilled welder/fabricator/craftsman can repair some of this type of damage if done correctly using the right welding processes and principles. Many times if the impeller lets loose or the bearing goes out, the impller will chew up your timing cover, then the repair just got a lot more expensive. It's a good thing these are now being repopped. They were hard to come by for a long while. Erik
Sounds like I should check to see if the one I have is a cast iron pump, and if not, I should find one. And then I should send a cast iron pump to this "Flying Dutchman" fellow for him to rebuild. That the general consensus? How much does he charge for completely rebuilding a single water pump?
Good question, Tom how reasonable is reasonable? I was able to scoff up a couple older cast pumps. Here and there.
I replaced my pump with one from flowkooler. Its a brand new pump and it puts out a lot of water movement and keeps my car cool. Check them out at http://www.flowkooler.com/.
