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MG MGB GT V8 Factory Originals Technical - A cheaper water pump?

I am building a 1980 3.5 and the water pump is shot. I have heard there is a cheaper chev or buick water pump available. Does any one know the year and make or better yet a part number? Is this a bolt on and will belt and pulley assembles still line up. I priced a Rover water pump and was not impressed!
Leon Scott

Beware of pattern pumps which don't have the main outlet pipe at the correct angle. They can cause the hose to sit incorrectly and lead to contact with belts. Paul Kile can give details on this, as he showed me the problem with 2 pumps side-by-side!
David Smith

Rovers West sells a Rover P6 water pump for about $80.00. The P6 water pump is the short pump.
Bob McClain

The BL water pump used on the Factory GT V-8 was designed to help keep the lower radiator hose away from the drive belt (it wasn't a fan belt, since the Factory cars had no belt driven fan!). The inlet pipe to the pump was angled about 5 degrees to the rear, and the pipe emerged from the side of the pump casting within 1/8" of the machined mounting surface. This provided lots of clearance for the lower hose.

I have two replacement pumps, one from Moss Europe, and one from Beers of Houghton. The Moss pump still has ~1/8" between the pipe and the machined surface, but the pipe is no longer angled to the rear. There is still adequate clearance between the hose and the belt.

The Beers pump (I have no idea of their supplier) has a much larger distance between the pipe and the machined surface (~3/8"). This means that the pipe is farther forward on the pump, placing the lower hose closer to the belt. The pipe is also not angled to the rear. I will not be using this pump, since the hose will definitely run into the belt.

I still have my OEM BL pump, it doesn't leak but it is noisy. Does anyone know a shop who can successfully rebuild these pumps?

Cheers,
Paul Kile
Paul Kile

I was talking to Clive Wheatley yesterday (see 'Hoses') and he said that the manufacturer of the correct pumps had had a problem with the tooling hence, perhaps, the wider availability of the 'less than satisfactory' types. He said he is now supplyin rebuilt ones. Whether it is worth shipping them to the UK and back though ...

PaulH.
Paul Hunt

Did anyone answer the original question? Will the Chev or Buick work correctly? (if outlet clearance is not the issue)
Andre

Leon

Check out D & D (810) 798-2491 "Buick 300 style rebuilt pump. Mandatory on A/C equipped cars." For 40.00 exchange or 60.00us outright.

The pump is available from Canadian Tire and is a remanufactured pump for a Buick 300 from the mid 60's.


Bruce
Bruce

This thread was discussed between 11/04/2000 and 16/04/2000

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