[concept 101]

Hi,
Can anyone post picture of what the Alfa water pump pulley special removal tool looks like?
Thanks, Dennis

 

[Gordon Raymond]

Here it is from the Alfa tool catalog. I have a good one I use regularly. I can provide photo's of the real thing as well.
BTW, it's not as easy as the catalog shows. It requires a LARGE open end wrench, and two strong hands, or extensions on the tool handles. You also need to have three arms and a spare hand.
From my experience,

 

[concept 101]

Thanks for the pic Gordon, I can very well imagine that it is not that easy to pull the pulley off the shaft after 50 years of rusting together. Do you use to heat up the shaft to break up the rust?

P.S. And while at it, what do you do to get the impeller off the shaft? That´s of course after the guts come out....

Dennis

 

[Gordon Raymond]

All pretty easy. The interference fit between the (soft) iron pulley and hardened shaft, keeps corrosion between the two minimal. Once it starts to move, it comes right off.
The impeller isn't too much of a problem either. The easy way is to remove the grub screw locking the bearing housing to the pump housing. You may have to drill it out and tap using a helicoil or thread insert. The grub screws are 8 mm and easily made up on a lathe. Then the impeller, water seal and bearing housing and shaft are pushed out of the pump housing with a hydraulic press. Then a fixture is placed under the impeller, (I use a steel pipe), and the shaft is pressed out of the impeller.
At this point you may notice the corrosion of the pump body both under the impeller and BELOW the waterseal in the recess. Time for media blasting. That done, the pump body corrosion can be repaired on the big water tube, with JB Weld, then ground and sanded down to match the original profile. I paint the interior of the pump and tubes with black epoxy paint. DO NOT paint the water seal area or bearing bore. You can also paint the impeller after media blasting. Then the water seal body bore (and pits) are coated with Permetex-Ultra-Grey, just where the seal presses into the body. The new seal is installed with a correctly sized socket and LIGHT hydraulic press work, or a dead blow hammer. Next the exterior of the bearing holder is lubricated, and installed being sure to line up the grub screw hole with the hole in the body. Install the grub screw.
Now examine the seal rubbing surface on the bottom of the impeller, and lathe cut and polish as smooth as possible. lubricate the shaft, and press the pump body with bearing and shaft onto the impeller until the shaft is flush with the outside flat face of the impeller. This should compress the water seal spring, causing the seal to ride firmly yet smoothly on the seal surface of the impeller.
Next, paint your pulley, lubricate the other end of the bearing shaft, and press the pulley onto the shaft, again, so the shaft ends up flush with the front face of the pulley.
Completed, the pump should turn freely with only friction from the water seal.
Here are some pictures Dennis, of customers jobs in progress and completed.
Worst case, you can send the whole thing to me to rebuild, OR for LESS MONEY, buy a good after market pump. Most of my water pump builds are either for show cars where the original body casting counts, racing, where the owner wants to be sure or change pulley sizes, or conversions where 750 or early 101 pumps want to run plastic fans, narrow pulleys and more modern internals.
The first four pictures here are epoxy repair of serious pitting. The next post shows odd completed pumps.

 

[Gordon Raymond]

Here are some more.
The first pump is a restored early 101, late 750 pump, restored with an Alfa factory wide belt pulley adaptor that allows the plastic rather than aluminum fan. This was a hard to come by part, the pump restored for a friend, Patrick Hung.
Next is a 750 pump body, fitted with 105 internals and pulley for a racing 750.
Third is the pitted body from the last post, completed, and finally that same badly pitted pump restored and mounted to the restored GTA front cover.

 

[concept 101]

Gordon WOW !!!!! What a description, pictures and finish on your items, very, very instructive and beautiful work. I would with pleasure send all my four 1600 water pumps to you, but I recon it would be too expensive with the shippings forth and back as well as the probable eddition of customs duties (no small amounts) when entering this country on it´s way back again. There don´t seems to be anyone left in this country doing this service any more and that´s why I´m looking for ways to try to fix it myself. I have the seals and one of the special bearings (on shaft), but am for the time being missing all the tools, on the other hand, I guess I woun´t be driving this car untill next Spring anyway (headliner and seats still not done), so there´s time.

Thanks and regards,
Dennis

 

[Gordon Raymond]

Thanks Dennis! I started with these for restoration and racing use, and the projects developed from there. I ALWAYS suggest that unless an original casting is required, the most economical fix, is a good after-market replacement. You can probably source a good one from Christian Ondrak, in Germany at OK Parts and engineering.
Just save your old pumps!

 

[concept 101]

Gordon, that´s actually my contingency plan in case I wouldn´t be able to pull of the pump restorations for the moment, to source an aftermarket one and save the ones with original casting for later.

Dennis