water pumps for big blocks

[BeatersRus]

so im cruising evilbay and scoping out water pumps for my 440,when i see this,
and i wonder if anyones tried these and if theres any advantages Or disadvantages to using alum.
besides dropping the weight off the nose.

A A413 aluminum alloy centrifugal impeller with curved vanes guarantees maximum water flow rate. Can increase flow volume and head of water output by as much as 30%.

link
MOPAR DODGE 350/361/383/400/426/440 ALUMINUM WATER PUMP & HOUSING | eBay
link to other set w thermostat housing
MOPAR DODGE 350/361/383/400/426/440 ALUMINUM WATER PUMP & HOUSING | eBay

 

[commando1]

The only advantage to a new aluminum pump is that it sends even more money unnecessarily to China.
Keep the strong steel one manufactured by Ma Mopar.
And, jeeze..... weight savings??? Stop it. It's a BB C-body....

 

[tallhair]

The only advantage to a new aluminum pump is that it sends even more money unnecessarily to China.
Keep the strong steel one manufactured by Ma Mopar.
And, jeeze..... weight savings??? Stop it. It's a BB C-body....

Every 100 lbs is a tenth Stan. May get the beast into the 16s.

 

[Polara_500]

There were some folks having issues with poor water flow with some aluminum castings. I don't know any of the specifics as to who/what/where or even when though.

 

[Gerald Morris]

Bought a nice new aluminum housing couple months back, as the thermostat flange on my venerable iron one cracked due to former (immature) owner's sloth w.r.t. removing old gaskets. His solution to the inevitable leaks was to OVERTIGHTEN THE BOLTS! So when I removed 3 layers of gasket, which were ALL that held the flange together, the thing fell off.

Gave only $40 for the new housing at "Racing World USA" in eBay, which looks like an unusually good price. I went ahead and got a new Gates pump and installed the 7 blade 18.5" fan I'd copped from a saintly local, using a Hayes 2707 clutch.

I don't recommend anything w moving parts from China. I guess I got lucky as far as the fit of the housing, but it does and Tilly is staying under 210 F in 100 F outdoor temperature traffic.

 

[Davea Lux]

The weight savings will be less than one pound. So what happens if the aluminum casting from China breaks and eats your radiator and fan shroud? Sounds like you saved about a pound in weight to spend another $750.

Dave

 

[Gerald Morris]

Weight never was an issue w.r.t. the pump body I bought. Having new metal was. Old cast iron can and DOES break, as the housing I replaced did. Despite sinophobic worst case fantasies, I expect this body to serve me well for years to come. Had there been a cast iron body in pristine condition available to me for comparable money, I might have bought it, but such have degenerated to UNobtainium, ergo, I went with aluminum. Thus far, no bi-metallic expansion deltas have arisen to cause leaks either, nor do I expect any.

I possess 2 cast iron truck pump bodies which I likely will clean up and sell. If anyone reading this wants one, I'll probably let it go for $10 + shipping.

 

[tallhair]

I should have been able to guess the meaning

 

[Gerald Morris]

I should have been able to guess the meaning

View attachment 126443

Right on. I admit a certain degree of it myself. I'm doing a crap shoot that they can cast aluminum competently, but cast iron DOES crystallize over time into oft fragile structures. Seeing my old pump flange crack up disturbed me quite a bit. I had to use Indian Head to hold it together the last 5 days until the new body came...... It worked.

 

[70bigblockdodge]

The weight savings will be less than one pound. So what happens if the aluminum casting from China breaks and eats your radiator and fan shroud? Sounds like you saved about a pound in weight to spend another $750.

Dave

Oh it more than a pound. But wight savings on a c body is a oxymoron.

 

[Gerald Morris]

Exactly! Never was a concern in my case. Nice smooth new metal, unstressed by 4-5 decades of use and abuse motivated me.

 

[tallhair]

Oh it more than a pound. But wight savings on a c body is a oxymoron.

depending on year it's not that much really. 65 sport fury vs 70 RR for example is like 300 lbs for a big block car right ... depending on 383/440 and options maybe more maybe less. Looking at 3,500 vs 3,800 or 3/10s of a sec

 

[saylor]

The weight savings will be less than one pound. So what happens if the aluminum casting from China breaks and eats your radiator and fan shroud? Sounds like you saved about a pound in weight to spend another $750.

Dave

i watched an XK drophead jag throw the harmonic balancer on the straight at road atlanta - not a water pump - and yes **** got tore the hell up. like shrapnel. thru the hood. tore a big ol hole in it. popped tire. broke engine bay. everything broke. just no.

then later that day, or maybe one of the other days i was there, i watched a mclaren roll into the pit (where I was) and the whole hood was wavy looking, like a street on a really hot day - heat waves - were coming up off the hood. Dude jumped the hell out of the cockpit of the mclaren and took off and yelled at me to run too. I learned some things real quick:
1.) car backfired thru carb and caught hood on fire.
2.) u cannot see alcohol/race fuel burning - no flame was present.
3.) when the owner of a car on fire says run - you the hell run.

 

[Davea Lux]

New Airtex water pumps, all iron are still available Part Number AW1040 cost at JC Whitney is $30.72

 

[tallhair]

New Airtex water pumps, all iron are still available Part Number AW1040 cost at JC Whitney is $30.72

I think the crux of the argument is the housing not the pump.

 

[70bigblockdodge]

@tallhair
A stripped 65-66 Plymouth is not the C body I'm looking for, I already own a bare bones Plymouth that I took more out of. I'm looking for a fully loaded 2 door Chrysler Slab or Formal, then the 5# of pump and housing weight becomes moot.
There is a aluminum housing and pump on my Plymouth, squeezing a set of elephant ears, also another reason a aluminum housing is good is it is easier to Mill the 1/4" of to get the pulley alignment back.

 

[1978 NYB]

@tallhair
A stripped 65-66 Plymouth is not the C body I'm looking for, I already own a bare bones Plymouth that I took more out of. I'm looking for a fully loaded 2 door Chrysler Slab or Formal, then the 5# of pump and housing weight becomes moot.
There is a aluminum housing and pump on my Plymouth.

If you get a Formal with air...make sure you wallow the area on the compressor mounting bracket with a die grinder enough so you can get a socket or a wrench on the driver side thermostat housing bolt without having to take the compressor off the dang car!

 

[commando1]

If you get a Formal with air...make sure you wallow the area on the compressor mounting bracket with a die grinder enough so you can get a socket or a wrench on the driver side thermostat housing bolt without having to take the compressor off the dang car!

It then goes from a 90+ min. job to less than 15.

 

[tallhair]

@tallhair
A stripped 65-66 Plymouth is not the C body I'm looking for, I already own a bare bones Plymouth that I took more out of. I'm looking for a fully loaded 2 door Chrysler Slab or Formal, then the 5# of pump and housing weight becomes moot.
There is a aluminum housing and pump on my Plymouth, squeezing a set of elephant ears, also another reason a aluminum housing is good is it is easier to Mill the 1/4" of to get the pulley alignment back.

I was staying on topic. The guy who started the thread has a BB 65 sport fury I think.

I wasn't focused on whatever you have or are looking for that I have no previous knowledge of.

 

[1978 NYB]

It then goes from a 90+ min. job to less than 15.

I'm surprised that the engineers never addressed that issue....even in 1978.