VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Mechanical - Engine, Trans, etc Cooling system "redo"; looking for opinions

I just bought a '51 Styleline Special which had been sitting for decades. It has a new fuel tank and sender as well as all new brake system. I have the leaky radiator going to an old school shop for recoring. I plan to clean and then reverse flush the whole cooling system and put in a new thermostat. Looking for opinions: The water pump looks like it has been replaced at some point, is not leaking and seems to be moving coolant. Is it worth the risk of breaking off bolts in order to inspect/replace the water pump or should I just leave well enough alone?

Hi John

How good is the bearing?
When you spin the pump and fan is the bearing quiet? Or does it "rumble" a little or sound dry?
How much play is there? A little is acceptable, but a big "clunk" isn't.

If it feels and sounds good, and isn't leaking out the little weep hole underneath, I'd leave it alone.
In other words, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".

(Unless you are planning a cross county trip, of course.) 🙂

Going by my experiance I would worry more about what is stuck in the block and slowly find its way into your radiator.
This is what i would.
Remover the maifolds so you can get at the expansion plugs on the left side of the block. Remove the plugs and dig out the rust on the bottom of the cylinder barrels.
to make it complete would also remove the cylider head and clean the block to head passages.

You ccn flush all day and never remove the old packed in rust.

I left mine on my 41 when I first had it running. The last time mine was on the road was 69. Had it running and after a few short trips the gaskets failed where they mount to the engine. At that point I replaced it. Took my time and did not force anything and it came apart fairly well. Unfortunately the rebuilt I received the bearing failed under 100 miles. Changed it again and have not had an issue since.

I had drained all of the coolant and flushed everything out prior to the first run. I still check for leaks before each drive. I just assume any old car will leak something and requires a full check prior to each trip. Also I keep coolant and oil in the trunk of the 41. In all of my other cars I keep a quart of oil. Also a basic tool set.

The water pump seems fine.
New fan belt and thermostat.
I torqued the thermostat housing bolts to 12 lbs./ft.
I haven’t run it yet as I’m waiting on my radiator recoreing.
The 12 lbs./ft. seems pretty snug; I couldn’t find any torque values.
Suggestions on the torque level?