I just wanted to share my experience of my water pump rebuild by Winnipeg based AutoLine Products.
I pulled this short necked water pump off the Grande's 396 at the time of rebuild and came to the conclusion that this pump must be the original factory pump. There was a little play in the bearing but the pump did not leak, however I realized that I could not put it back on a re-built engine the way it was. So, over 2 years later, I finally got around to having it sent it off to Autoline and this is the finished product!
The pump came back to my shock and horror painted black!! I thought perhaps it would either come back as in bare cast metal or perhaps GM orange, but not black. In any event, it was very nicely reconditioned, painted and looks absolutely wonderful. I was very pleased with the finished product.
The pump is a 3856284 casting, or better known as a "Corvette pump" according to Ebay, nearly all the postings with this pump casting refer to it as a Corvette pump and attach ridiculous values to it like $300 - 400 US or more a for rebuilt version. This one is not for sale unfortunately, as it will be re-united with the 396 at some point in the future.
This casting date of this pump is a J 19 7 which translates to October 19, 1967. The engine block was cast on November 6, 1967 and the engine was stamped on November 8, 1967 and the final assembly of the car was November 15th, 1967. The pump was cast a few weeks ahead of the block casting and you can see that these components were produced close to the actual manufacture dates.
I know that there has been a lot of discussion about the short neck BBC water pump vs the long neck in the size matters discussion, some even say it's not as aesthetically pleasing as a long necked pump and others say it's outright ugly, as well as other GM conspiracy theories, but I think my pump is quite sexy!
I like this shot because it shows that the back plate is the original plate with the hallmarks of some rust pitting of what would be expected of a 52 year old water pump. I know it came back with all the original parts it went in with.
Here is shot of the 396 with the current aluminum pump. Don't lean in to far for that pic as you might lose a finger, cause that engine is turning!! LOL
OMG, that 396 is black?? Blasphemy according to some but the 396 is sporting a little different look at this time. I have pondered this over and over in my mind whether I did the right thing to paint it black and even thought of yanking the engine out and make it GM orange once again, then my rebuilt water pump arrived from AutoLine painted black! I think it is a sign that the engine was meant to be black, at least for now, for awhile anyways. Change it up a bit, you know?
I am just having some fun with this and I wanted to share that AutoLine in Winnipeg re-builds water pumps as well as carbs and the current factory Q Jet carb on the Grande has also been rebuilt by AutoLine.
Cheers!
-- Edited by 68 Grande on Friday 8th of November 2019 03:57:04 PM
-- Edited by 68 Grande on Friday 8th of November 2019 04:20:36 PM
-- Edited by 68 Grande on Friday 8th of November 2019 08:50:25 PM
Yes, I figured you would offer your vanilla world response as such. But, we know that you are venturing out and exploring other areas such as the Fake66 and even SneakyFake with the contemplation of adding a hidden cruise control unit....
BTW, shouldn't you be helping customers instead of posting on CP???
-- Edited by 68 Grande on Friday 8th of November 2019 04:52:40 PM
I've had a couple done by them, they had to be done through another shop (Autoline didn't deal with end customers, so I had them done through The Muscle Car Shop here in Calgary). Later, when I worked for Central Auto Parts here in Calgary, I occasionally would pick up parts at Autoline here in Calgary. Autoline again said they don't deal with end customers, and that I'd have to have it done through Central Auto Parts. I talked to the gal at Central who I knew fairly well, and she said you really roll the dice now about getting your original back, and it'd likely be rebuilt in the USA.
The ones I had done through the Muscle Car Shop, one came back black, the other was orange. But the orange one was packed in newspaper before the orange paint was dry so the paper stuck to the paint. I had to peel the paper off, sand and paint appropriately.
I sent it in for him via our local parts provider. And I made it VERY clear that the original pump would be coming back to us. I must have told them 5 times at the store there was no option of a different pump coming back! It was fast too, I think turnaround was 2, maybe 3 days including it having to make the round trip to Winnipeg via truck. As I recall when I sent my Q-jet it was about the same turnaround time.
__________________
1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
I've had a couple done by them, they had to be done through another shop (Autoline didn't deal with end customers, so I had them done through The Muscle Car Shop here in Calgary). Later, when I worked for Central Auto Parts here in Calgary, I occasionally would pick up parts at Autoline here in Calgary. Autoline again said they don't deal with end customers, and that I'd have to have it done through Central Auto Parts. I talked to the gal at Central who I knew fairly well, and she said you really roll the dice now about getting your original back, and it'd likely be rebuilt in the USA.
The ones I had done through the Muscle Car Shop, one came back black, the other was orange. But the orange one was packed in newspaper before the orange paint was dry so the paper stuck to the paint. I had to peel the paper off, sand and paint appropriately.
You are correct seventy2plus2, you have to go through a parts shop and I did not deal directly with AutoLine. I went through a dealership just south of Winnipeg, Rosenort Motors.
Rosenort Motors also do great wheel alignments on classic cars as well!! I hear their parts department is super as well!!
I sent it in for him via our local parts provider. And I made it VERY clear that the original pump would be coming back to us. I must have told them 5 times at the store there was no option of a different pump coming back! It was fast too, I think turnaround was 2, maybe 3 days including it having to make the round trip to Winnipeg via truck. As I recall when I sent my Q-jet it was about the same turnaround time.
I was speaking with a classic owner here in MB awhile back he was restoring a certain car and did not have the original pump and wanted a date correct pump on his car. So, he said he purchased a couple of "used" period correct pumps to finish off his restoration with the intention of rebuilding the pump himself.
After cracking two pump housings, the third rebuild attempt was the charm and he had his date correct pump but it cost a few bucks in the process. Apparently you have to push that bearing out correctly or the housing can crack.
Had I attempted to rebuild this one, it likely would have resulted in me destroying it! So I appreciate having Carl sending it off, having it rebuilt and getting the same pump back!
It's funny Jake how much attention to detail we put into the parts we'll never see much "detail" of. I get it. Great post btw.
I just went with my original 327 pump. No rebuild. Cleaned it, carefully masked and sealed it off, bead blasted, then painted it. Lets hope it doesn't leak.
__________________
65 Laurentian post, 67 Grande Parisienne 4 door HT.
I just went with my original 327 pump. Lets hope it doesn't leak.
Don't be surprised if it does Mark. Often a pump is perfect when taken off an engine but the seals must dry out once they've been wet and then end up on a shelf for a couple of years. It seems a rebuilt pump can sit on the shelf for decades and be fine but often a used one leaks after sitting around a year or two.
__________________
1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
Black for now but orange in the future. When I dropped the engine in, it disappeared into a black hole and you couldn't see it anymore. The engine compartment is quite clean and the person who did a resto on the car clear coated the engine compartment so it actually became too black. My builder showed up to fire the engine up and break in the cam and he said "good thing you put the aluminum intake and the chrome valve covers or I wouldn't know where to find it".
Needless to say, it will most likely be orange one day. And, I am contemplating on putting the iron intake back on as well as I think the car needs the weight up front, but that is only my opinion and I haven't decided on that one yet. But I have thoroughly enjoyed working on the car, I find it therapeutic.
-- Edited by 68 Grande on Saturday 9th of November 2019 10:12:04 AM