Hello all I’m finally back and working in the garage again! So here’s the issue…. I’m getting my woody out of hibernation (been sitting for 15 years) and already changed the carburetor, fuel pump, blew out the fuel line, and swapped out the bad gas to fresh. It was sitting all these years without antifreeze in the motor (completely dry) and after filling it up I noticed that I had a little bit of antifreeze on the garage floor a day or two later. I thought that maybe I spilled a little from the overflow and that it was no big deal. This Sunday I tried to start the car but found a fuel leak so after fixing that and it was late I decided to wait until the next day to start it. Yesterday I noticed that the water pumps had puked their guts out overnight. I think it’s coming from the seals which makes sense after sitting for eons so I’m going to be replacing them. The question I have is are the new water pumps that Dennis Carpenter sells any good? I also have about 10 sets of NORS water pumps sitting here that I could use but do you think that the seals would be dried up as well? I wouldn’t mind trying them if this wasn’t a 1000 point show car and don’t really want to take a chance of scratching anything twice replacing them. That and this car really intimidates me being that it has a provenance that doesn’t end and was my dads baby. So before I order new parts and all today could the experts weigh in and tell me what I should do Oh yeah this is what stares at me every time I go to look under the front of the car…….
You’re going to have to remove the current pumps which ever option you choose so I’d do that first and then you can see whether it’s just seals or if you need machine work or more. You’re not going to loose anything except time.
If you are trying to maintain the 1000 points, you don’t want repro pumps, you will want the originals restored.
If it was me I would fire the car up and see what happens. Run it through a heat cycle or 2. And then get new pumps if needed
Skip Haney in Florida can rebuild your original pumps. He is an expert at this. You can reach him at skiphaney@aol.com or 941-505-9085. He uses modern seals and precision bushings.
I’m not sure I wanna keep it a 1000 point show car. Yeah I have bragging rights and all but I really want to get it out and enjoy the thing because it’s no good to me just sitting there in the garage. I’d love to drive it to the Goodguys meet in Nashville this year along with a few other shows. If I do start driving it I have to replace all the belts and hoses because it has all NOS Ford parts and they are only good for driving it on the trailer to the show field and back into the garage. It’s like Squirrel told me it’s no good if you can’t drive it!!
I have a set of NOS Ford pumps in the boxes that I can send him to upgrade to today’s standards. Thanks for giving me his info so I can get hold of him to see if he wants to do them!!
Your NOS pumps will work fine there's no need to have them updated. The parts in those NOS pumps are identical to what rebuilt pumps would have the bearing and seal design is still the same. The only change would be the impeller design which for a car like yours is not really needed. Ronnieroadster
I have used several pairs of Dennis Carpenter flathead water pumps and have zero issues. I've never had any original Ford pumps ever stop leaking until they ran out of water/coolant! I thought about using Bob Drake pumps but they have their name cast right in them making them for sure not look stock. Dave
Yeah but are the seals dried out like the ones on the car now?!? They’re only 70+ years old there abouts.
As far as the NOS pumps, you probably have a 80 percent chance or better of them being perfectly fine. Nothing is ever 100 percent. It’s possible that it may not be the pump seals. It could be freeze damage. I’m not there. I have not seen what you see. It’s almost impossible to completely drain an engine block in the car. There’s going to be pockets of water. These areas can freeze. The worst thing for an engine is to let it sit and let it sit dry. The second worst thing for an engine is to try and wake it up without cleaning it up. There’s no telling how much rust is in that cooling system after being dry for so long. I really think it would be a good idea to pull the car out, remove the hoses and flush it out. I would really inspect that block for freeze cracks. I would do a compression check. Low cylinders, I would suspect stuck rings. There’s always the possibility of mice nesting under the intake. They can get in through the road draft tube. It’s possible, but maybe not probable that after you flush it out, those pumps may be fine. Be gentle. Look for clues. Clean up stuff as best you can. Personally I would use the NOS pumps if I had them.
Just a point of clarification, Skip doesn't use modern bearings on the pre-8BA pumps. They are re-bushed like the originals ones with his proprietary impeller.
The car lives in a climate controlled environment so freezing is not on the menu but letting one sitting for a long time will kill them quicker than you know. Mice and bugs are not a threat because I have a company come out 4 times a year for pest control, it’s a woody so you have to make sure it’s bug free LOL. So I made up my mind that I’m going to enjoy the car and try my best not to alter it too bad at least for now . I went ahead and ordered the new water pumps, belts and hoses from Dennis Carpenter and they should be here by this weekend. I am going to take the pumps that I’m taking off the motor along with the NOS ones and send them to the gentleman to rebuild them for me. Seeing that they are 8BA’s I know that I have some really nice ones waiting for me if I ever need them.
Now for another question who has new wiper blades for the shoebox Fords? Carpenter was out of them when I ordered my other stuff and I’m wanting to drive my Tudor as my daily while I’m painting my truck
Skip improves the pumps with his own seals bearings and his own impellers ( his design and manufacture) machines the impeller pocket on the pump to improve flow and pump pressure then has a flow rig and he makes them match by adjusting the impeller depth so they are within his specifications flow wise and both match perfectly fabricator john miss you dad
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