valk Posted July 25, 2020 Share Posted July 25, 2020 Figures...my water pump has started making noise again (it kinda dissapeared for a while). This after I removed the radiator last year when I could have replaced the pump easily. I've reviewed what posts I could find on the subject so first I'll make sure it's the water pump and not the belt (thank you Matt) but what did we decide regarding which is best, a rebuilt pump (for less than $100) or a new one ($160 - 215)? The price range for pumps is all over the place but don't remember if we had consensus on which are good and any to avoid. I don't want to be doing this again anytime soon. Thanks much, Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted July 25, 2020 Share Posted July 25, 2020 I don't remember the details of the discussion either, but it's all there if you want to back and look at it. I put a new pump on my car a few years ago, and have had no trouble with it. http://www.oldbuickparts.com/product_info.php?products_id=11020 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted July 25, 2020 Share Posted July 25, 2020 (edited) I don't know if one is a better choice than the other. If you go with a rebuild, buy from a reputable vendor rather than eBay--a rebuild for less than $100 seems questionable. I don't remember what I spent on the one I used recently, since I bought it some years ago from Bob's, but it was definitely a Bob's unit. Maybe $165? I don't recall. I would wager that all the rebuilt water pumps come from the same rebuilder and are just re-sold by the various vendors. I have not heard anything bad about the brand new ones, either. The idea of a fresh casting with no defects or ancient remnants of a hack rebuild is nice. Whatever you do, I think you'll be fine and the job isn't a difficult one, particularly if the radiator is out of the car. Let us know how it goes. Edited July 25, 2020 by Matt Harwood (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valk Posted July 25, 2020 Author Share Posted July 25, 2020 Thanks boys, I can’t recall any bad things said about any of them so I’ll go with either Cars or Bobs. I’ll try it first without removing the rad but I will if I run into trouble, which I do more times than not. unrelated, I bought a hub cap from Bobs for under a $100 (with shipping) and it’s beautiful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted July 26, 2020 Share Posted July 26, 2020 The radiator isn't difficult to remove and it will really make the job easier. Four bolts on each side with blind fastener clips on the radiator cradle, so it's a 1-man job. Also a good chance to clean it out and replace the hoses (you'll be doing the little one between the water pump and bypass housing anyway). Plus no risk of damage, it's a lot easier to get the fan and pulley out of there, and you won't slice your hands to ribbons. If you keep the radiator in there, some cardboard or 1/4-inch plywood on the core for protection is a good idea. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted July 26, 2020 Share Posted July 26, 2020 There's a fellow on this forum that had numerous boxes of water pumps for 41-48 or so, all for sale, I was so disappointed when I saw them because I was looking for a 39 pump! If he doesn't speak up and you're interested let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valk Posted July 26, 2020 Author Share Posted July 26, 2020 I’ve not heard from him but I think I’ll just get one from Bobs or Cars as I’m a little skeptical of older pumps that have been sitting around for a while. Thanks for the heads up though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_B Posted July 26, 2020 Share Posted July 26, 2020 For something like this I like Kanter. Their after sale service is way better than Bob or Cars. Not even in the same league. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valk Posted July 26, 2020 Author Share Posted July 26, 2020 Thanks Dave. I used to buy a ton of stuff from the Kanter brothers many years ago when I had a Packard. I’ll check them out for sure. hope you’re doing well peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney Eaton Posted July 26, 2020 Share Posted July 26, 2020 I replaced the water pump on my 1939 Century and doing the pump is easy..... it's the fan and pulley that drove me nuts. So little room... must get pulley, fan and pump holes aligned to get the bolt started and there is very little room. I made an alignment tool..... a strap of metal with a bullet nose pin that aligns one set of holes so you can get the bolts started in the other holes. to same my knuckles.... found some thin cardboard to put over the radiator fins....that protects the radiator and my knuckles. The bad news was there was nothing wrong with the pump I removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_bigD Posted July 27, 2020 Share Posted July 27, 2020 I used "The Flying Dutchman" to rebuild my pump. Reasonably price and lead time and he even painted it Buick green. Working great. http://water-pump-rebuilders.com/contact.html Steve D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted July 27, 2020 Share Posted July 27, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, Steve_bigD said: I used "The Flying Dutchman" to rebuild my pump. Reasonably price and lead time and he even painted it Buick green. Working great. http://water-pump-rebuilders.com/contact.html Steve D And even THEY make mistakes. Albeit small one. One of his pictures shows a well repaired pump that mis identifies the repaired as the outlet. Since I have a 1950 Buick ,using the same pump, I recognize the repaired neck as the inlet, not the outlet. Unless some other car uses the same pump reversed.. I would still use them. Ben Edited July 27, 2020 by Ben Bruce aka First Born (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawrence Helfand Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 Reinstalling the fan and pulley to the pump flange is frustrating as can be as alignment is only possible if you can hold it all together while hunting for the bolt hole. I tried for 45 minutes without success and when I finally decided that some 5 minute epoxy to glue the pulley to the fan would make things easier and it worked beautifully making it quite easy without tearing my hands up in the process as I was not using a cardboard shield. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_bigD Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 On my 38 special I was able to remove and install the water pump with the fan attached without hitting the radiator. Since the upper hose, thermostat housing heater hoses and lower hose are already removed there is just enough space to lift it out. I did this twice within a few weeks since the first replacement pump ceramic seal was damaged in shipment and leaked like a sieve. Steve D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 (edited) I cut the head off a bolt and threaded that stud into the water pump hub just loosely, making it a snap to hang the pulley and fan on it and install the other three bolts. Then I removed the stud and installed the fourth bolt. Easy! Then I screwed the stud into the hub of my old water pump, which is now the spare that lives in my trunk, just in case... Edited July 28, 2020 by Matt Harwood (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valk Posted July 28, 2020 Author Share Posted July 28, 2020 All great ideas, thank you. Went for a spin yesterday and the pump was pretty quiet so maybe I can postpone this a while. It’s been pretty noisy at times but it works and temp has not been an issue (yet). I’ll now be ready when the time comes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawrence Helfand Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 2 hours ago, Matt Harwood said: I cut the head off a bolt and threaded that stud into the water pump hub just loosely, making it a snap to hang the pulley and fan on it and install the other three bolts. Then I removed the stud and installed the fourth bolt. Easy! Then I screwed the stud into the hub of my old water pump, which is now the spare that lives in my trunk, just in case... An elegant solution Matt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 3 hours ago, valk said: All great ideas, thank you. Went for a spin yesterday and the pump was pretty quiet so maybe I can postpone this a while. It’s been pretty noisy at times but it works and temp has not been an issue (yet). I’ll now be ready when the time comes. Make sure it's really the pump that's noisy. I was assuming that the whirring, almost a grinding noise, from the front of my motor was the water pump. That's why I embarked on the project to replace it and ended up doing the radiator as well. Turns out it was 100% belt noise. Grrrrr... 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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