3859326 Water Pump

[Joe C.]

Where can I buy a high quality shaft bearing for this pump.

[Joe L.]

Re: 3859326 Water Pump

Where can I buy a high quality shaft bearing for this pump.

Joe-----


A few of the Corvette parts vendors sell waterpump parts. I think Corvette Central may be one. Arthur Gould Rebuilders or Bill Mock might sell you one. Also, King Bearing has them.

Most of those on the market today are of foreign manufacture. SKF and FAG are two major manufacturers.

[Joe C.]

Re: 3859326 Water Pump

Joe-----


A few of the Corvette parts vendors sell waterpump parts. I think Corvette Central may be one. Arthur Gould Rebuilders or Bill Mock might sell you one. Also, King Bearing has them.

Most of those on the market today are of foreign manufacture. SKF and FAG are two major manufacturers.

Thanks Joe. I've seen the major parts houses' kits online.
Rebuilt original pump I bought a few years ago has only a few thou miles on it. The bearing has a slight amount of wobble already. I'll have to look up where I bought it from, but likely Paragon/Zip/CC/LICS/Goat Hill. So this time I'll do it myself, but try to find a high quality bearing first.
I'll call Gould.

[Dan H.]

Re: 3859326 Water Pump

Hi Joe, do you have the dimension of the height of the outer surface (forward) flange from the engine mounting flanges when sitting on a flat surface?. I used to have it but long lost. My current 326 on my 64 seems to set the WP pulley back a little. I have the reinforcement but it needs tweeked forward a little. Don't know if some 'milled' the rear flange surfaces too much making it 'shorter' but want to check out correct dimensions.
Dan

[Mike G.]

Hub Height

the overhaual manual shows 5 9/16" for all 327 ci pumps. Just looked this up yesterday by coincidence.

[Joe C.]

Re: 3859326 Water Pump

Hi Joe, do you have the dimension of the height of the outer surface (forward) flange from the engine mounting flanges when sitting on a flat surface?. I used to have it but long lost. My current 326 on my 64 seems to set the WP pulley back a little. I have the reinforcement but it needs tweeked forward a little. Don't know if some 'milled' the rear flange surfaces too much making it 'shorter' but want to check out correct dimensions.
Dan

Dan,

Yup! Mine measures 5 21/32" plus/minus a "RCH".

[Dan H.]

Re: 3859326 Water Pump

Thanks Joe and Mike, dug out my Shop Manual, it lists a tool J-9608 for all except FI. Tool J-9648 for FI, good grief, was there a difference? Mine is a 64 FI if that counts. Wonder what difference there could be?
Dan

[Joe L.]

Re: Hub Height

the overhaual manual shows 5 9/16" for all 327 ci pumps. Just looked this up yesterday by coincidence.

Mike----


The overhaul manual is MOSTLY correct. The 5-9/16" hub spacing is, BY FAR, the most common spec for the short leg waterpumps. However, it's not the only spacing ever used. A few used a spacing of 5-11/16".

[Joe L.]

Re: 3859326 Water Pump

Thanks Joe and Mike, dug out my Shop Manual, it lists a tool J-9608 for all except FI. Tool J-9648 for FI, good grief, was there a difference? Mine is a 64 FI if that counts. Wonder what difference there could be?
Dan

Dan-----


I'm not familiar with these waterpump tool J-numbers. I'm familiar with other waterpump tool J-numbers but not these. What function do these tools serve in rebuilding the waterpump?

The waterpump used for 1964 FI engines was the same as that used for other external bypass small block applications. More than one casting may have been used but, with respect to relevent functionality, they were the same. However, the hub spacing MAY have varied slightly.

[Dan H.]

Re: 3859326 Water Pump

Dan-----


I'm not familiar with these waterpump tool J-numbers. I'm familiar with other waterpump tool J-numbers but not these. What function do these tools serve in rebuilding the waterpump?

The waterpump used for 1964 FI engines was the same as that used for other external bypass small block applications. More than one casting may have been used but, with respect to relevent functionality, they were the same. However, the hub spacing MAY have varied slightly.

Joe, they're in the 63 Shop Manual, used to gage the height of the pressed on front hub etc.
Dan

[Joe L.]

Re: 3859326 Water Pump

Thanks Joe. I've seen the major parts houses' kits online.
Rebuilt original pump I bought a few years ago has only a few thou miles on it. The bearing has a slight amount of wobble already. I'll have to look up where I bought it from, but likely Paragon/Zip/CC/LICS/Goat Hill. So this time I'll do it myself, but try to find a high quality bearing first.
I'll call Gould.

Joe-----


I've been "down-this-road" (although it was quite some time ago). I was looking for the ABSOLUTE HIGHEST QUALITY internal parts for a small block waterpump. I was particularly interested in finding the best possible seal assembly and the best possible bearing/shaft assembly.

After EXTENSIVE searching, I found the best possible seal assembly. It was manufactured by John Crane Company (an outfit that sells parts to NASA). It was stainless steel construction with Viton bellows. Viton is far superior to the material used for most waterpump seal assemblies. The John Crane seal cost me, as I recollect, about 75 bucks and that was about 20 years ago. That was about 3 times the cost of a complete rebuilt waterpump at the time.

I finally found what I believed to be the highest quality bearing/shaft assembly at King Bearing. It was FAG brand and they told me that was the best available at the time. I think it cost me about 50 bucks. However, later I bought a complete waterpump rebuild kit from an outfit called Salgado Automotive in Los Angeles. It contained exactly the same FAG bearing with the exact same number stamped on the end of the shaft. I think I paid 3 bucks for the whole kit.

Here's the deal: 55-68 (+69-70 Corvette) small block waterpumps have WEAK bearing/shaft assemblies. No matter what brand you get, they're going to be weak. In 1971 Chevrolet went to "jumbo size" bearing/shaft assemblies for ALL small block waterpumps. They did not do this because the earlier style worked just as well. If you want a "bullet-proof" small block waterpump then you need to use the 71+ style SHORT waterpump. The problem is these pumps have a slightly different hub spacing AND they all use a 3/4" pilot which makes them incompatible with 55-70 Corvette pullies. These pumps can be modified with the use of a different hub/shaft assembly with 5/8" pilot (available from King Bearing) plus slight machining of the waterpump nose end to work for 1955-70 applications.

However, a better plan is just to purchase an aftermarket aluminum pump which are virtually all "jumbo size" bearing/shaft assembly and otherwise configured to work for 55-70 Corvette applications.

[Joe L.]

Re: 3859326 Water Pump

Joe, they're in the 63 Shop Manual, used to gage the height of the pressed on front hub etc.
Dan

Dan------


The tool I'm familiar with for this application is J-22162 which is an ADJUSTABLE fan hub locating gauge. Apparently, the tools you're referring to are of FIXED dimension. If so, the reason for the two different tools may well be the waterpump hub spacing differences that I referred to in another post in this thread.

[Joe C.]

Re: 3859326 Water Pump

Joe-----


I've been "down-this-road" (although it was quite some time ago). I was looking for the ABSOLUTE HIGHEST QUALITY internal parts for a small block waterpump. I was particularly interested in finding the best possible seal assembly and the best possible bearing/shaft assembly.

After EXTENSIVE searching, I found the best possible seal assembly. It was manufactured by John Crane Company (an outfit that sells parts to NASA). It was stainless steel construction with Viton bellows. Viton is far superior to the material used for most waterpump seal assemblies. The John Crane seal cost me, as I recollect, about 75 bucks and that was about 20 years ago. That was about 3 times the cost of a complete rebuilt waterpump at the time.

I finally found what I believed to be the highest quality bearing/shaft assembly at King Bearing. It was FAG brand and they told me that was the best available at the time. I think it cost me about 50 bucks. However, later I bought a complete waterpump rebuild kit from an outfit called Salgado Automotive in Los Angeles. It contained exactly the same FAG bearing with the exact same number stamped on the end of the shaft. I think I paid 3 bucks for the whole kit.

Here's the deal: 55-68 (+69-70 Corvette) small block waterpumps have WEAK bearing/shaft assemblies. No matter what brand you get, they're going to be weak. In 1971 Chevrolet went to "jumbo size" bearing/shaft assemblies for ALL small block waterpumps. They did not do this because the earlier style worked just as well. If you want a "bullet-proof" small block waterpump then you need to use the 71+ style SHORT waterpump. The problem is these pumps have a slightly different hub spacing AND they all use a 3/4" pilot which makes them incompatible with 55-70 Corvette pullies. These pumps can be modified with the use of a different hub/shaft assembly with 5/8" pilot (available from King Bearing) plus slight machining of the waterpump nose end to work for 1955-70 applications.

However, a better plan is just to purchase an aftermarket aluminum pump which are virtually all "jumbo size" bearing/shaft assembly and otherwise configured to work for 55-70 Corvette applications.

Thanks for all the insight, Joe. If "you" ever want something done "right" do it yerself. The ^&*+#!#@&!&* bearing should not start to get sloppy in less than 2000 miles of driving. Either it was an inferior piece, was installed carelessly, or damaged during installation. It might just be defective. In any event, my pump is "correct", the car is not a daily driver, so I'll buy the piece from a dedicated outfit like Gould, or King Bearing. I'll install it, so I can be confident that it'll be done "right".

[Wayne M.]

Re: Hub Height

Mike----


The overhaul manual is MOSTLY correct. The 5-9/16" hub spacing is, BY FAR, the most common spec for the short leg waterpumps. However, it's not the only spacing ever used. A few used a spacing of 5-11/16".

This is from a 1965 Chev tech service bulletin: