stanleyz

I'm replacing my water pump and wondering who would like to suggest the best course of action. I almost pulled the trigger a Flow Kooler from summit and then it said it was for a counter clockwise operation. So, is that facing the water pump or being the water pump.

Or better yet is that the same as stock. Or would I be better off to just replace with Delco stock, or an after market clone.

How about an eldebrock Victor. They also say counter clockwise. All suggestions will be valued. Thanks.

ddahlgren

besides all those apps there are number keys on your phone and bet if you call the company they will tell you what fits your car without 300 guesses.

stanleyz

Thank you for that enlightening comment. It was very helpful and I will surely consider it when I make my decision.

However, I belong to a number of forums that support my various interests. I believe the greatest value in them is the cumulative knowledge that is shared. In this case I was hoping to get some input from those who had real world experience with one or more of the several options. Absent that I will decide based on the information on the web sites. Thanks again for your help.

HAD2HAV2

Do this job once, spend your money on the Eldebrock. I wish I had.

joeld

I'm looking at water pumps for my 89 also. For many, many years AC Delco was a good dependable choice. Not so much any more. I'm leaning toward the Edelbrock #8815 pump. But I keep reading lots of good reviews on the Stewart Stage 1 #13403?


Joel

Joe C

FWIW, I bought a flowkooler for my 85 as recommended by forum member, john marker (thanks john!). i found it to be a quality product. seems flowkooler uses (new) GMP housing cores and replaces and upgrades the bearings, seals, and impeller. the pump I bought for my 85 was part number BRA-1688 - I assume all L98 corvettes would be the same. during my research, I did compare the pump to an equivalent stewart, and found flowkooler appeared to the better quality. I did open the rear of the flowkooler to seal the cover plate, and the impeller appeared to be an anodized, machined aluminum. installation was straight forward and pretty much plug and play. it's been on the car for 3K miles now, and no cooling issues. as for the CCW operation, most times, things are ID'd as "aft looking forward," so i'm guessing that holds true. if you're considering flowkooler # BRA-1688, personally, I wouldn't worry about anything. if I had to purchase another water pump, I would not hesitate to go with flowkooler.

ex-x-fire

Edelbrock make a c4 specific water pump. I've had the same one on my vette since the 97(?) and it hasn't leaked a drop.

joeld

Update?

Joel

stanleyz

Thank you one and all. I ordered the Eldebrock 8815 from summitt. i though the 8825 was just too shiney not to mention how shiney the extra 70 bucks they waanted was. I'm sure it will be fine. As to the CCW vs CW I found more info in the ad and it is for SB Chevy with serpentine belt. In looking at their example on the web site the CCW appears to be facing the pump from the radiator. I went and looked at my serpentine belt diagram and that looks like how it turns. It seems there are two versions of the chevy water pumps, ours is the short version. So now I know. Would have been a lot easier if they had left the CCW out of the ad. Thanks again for the help.

ex-x-fire

It's not the long or short version, it's a c4 vette only version.

mtwoolford

FWIW "corvette" pumps use a larger 3/4" shaft than it's SBC cousins.

Joe C

for the street, most any decent quality WP will meet your car's cooling requirements. personally, i'd stay away from ac delco "professional." in most cases, these are third party supplier parts that meet the minimum specs as defined by ACD, and repackaged as ACD. "professional" is a clever marketing term. you really don't know who's the original supplier, or where it came from. do they work - most likely, and you won't have any problems, but remember, "you get what you pay for...". ACD professional WP's (#252-664) run around $40. on the other end of the ACD spectrum, is ACD "OE" replacement pumps (#251-500). this is GM's top tier hardware, but expect to pay in the $200-$250 range. now for a tad more than a $100, you can go with a better, aftermarket, hi-flow replacement - flowkooler, edelbrock, stewart, etc.. my personal choice is flowkooler. it really boils down to how much you want to spend, and what's the biggest bang for the buck.

ex-x-fire

I recommend putting hardening sealer on the threaded pipe connection that goes into the pump. Mine wouldn't seal with Teflon tape.

Joe C

- edelbrock is a good choice. as for the $70 shiny thing, once installed, you can't see shiny -

Joe C

- on my 85, I used ARP head bolt thread sealant. seems to be working....

stanleyz

We talking about the pipe the hose goes on or the bolts that tighten the WP to the block?

ex-x-fire

Yeah, the pipe you have to take off the old pump. I had a heck of a time sealing it. You should put sealant on the bolts too. One of them goes into the water jacket.

stanleyz

Thank you for enlightening me. I only used the terms "short and long" because the Eldebrock rep in the you tube used it as he was explaining that the "short" version was used on the small blocks until I think he said 1969. After that time the "short" version was used only on the corvette. But, then what would he know?

stanleyz

Got it, thanks. This whole project began because I had a leak from the bottom bolt on the driver side. Once removed it appears that there was little gasket material there, also looked like the bolt had been removed and some kind of compound added.

It also looks to be the OE pump. I'm gonna clean it up and post some pictures see who can help me determine that. A 30 year old OE pump would support the idea that it is a very low mileage car. It was presented to be so when I bought it but I did not drive it out new so I;m skeptical.

stanleyz

Yes they do but I would be shocked if only the Corvette WP had that shaft. Given the 60 years and the many iterations of the SBC (265, 283, 307, 327, 400 350, 305 and I'm sure I missed a couple), I think it highly unlikely that only the Corvettes had the HD 3/4 inch WP. And don't forget the marine applications. At one point in 1986 I owned a C4 corvette, an Impala and 2 sea ray cruisers and they all four had the 350 engine. And we must add the other GM applications of which there were and are many. The GM small block must be the most utilized engine in the history of the USA if not the world.