Short Water Pump in a '65 / 351W

[D Durden]

Okay, I’m hoping this is a simple one for the group.

I have a ’65 coupe with a 351W. I bought a packaged aluminum crossflow radiator and fan unit. There isn’t enough clearance for the unit, so I’m going to look at a shorter water pump. This is what I’m thinking:

Timing Chain Cover:
M-6059-D351

Water Pump:
M-8501-E351S

Do any of you guys have experience putting this combo in a ’65 with a Windsor? I figure I’ll need new pulleys and all, too.

Is there a better way to do this one?

Any help/input you guys can offer up would be appreciated!

 

[jlangholzj]

i ran into the same issue with my '68 and a 289 block. I just got two fans and core mounted them. good luck with this one.

 

[D Durden]

Actually, I was trying to post this in Classic Tech . . . but thanks! lol

 

[Gearbanger 101]

Threads merged and moved to Classic Tech.

 

[65coupe408w]

I used ron morris motor mounts, they allow you to slide the motor back almost 3 inches if needed. This gave me enough room. Also I am running a cross flow aluminum radiator with twin fans. This give me enough clearance for the waterpump pulley.

 

[D Durden]

I appreciate the heads up. Where I'm up against a wall is that this isn't a new install or anything, and I have the radiator/fan package (nice crossflow and all). Moving my entire drivetrain back 2 or 3 inches would be way too much work, so that's out of the question.

One of the biggest challenges I've faced is that I did this install in '94 before most of the commonly available stuff was, well, available. Probably around early 2000, everybody was doing a stroker Windsor in an early Mustang. It didn't take long after that till I started seeing lots of cool stuff for the swap. Unfortunately, most of it was either terribly expensive OR it was really for a new install.

That being said, I'm looking for a way to make my current setup work. I'm not really in a good position to get into a major "yep, you have to pull all of that out, too" project.

 

[mtaqua]

interested, I had similar problems, solved with Ron Morris mounts. I am currently having pulley alignment issues, and wouldn't mind switching to a shorter pump and solving with that. I have about 1/2 inch between my fan and water pump pulley.

Is the pump standard flow? I know the newer reverse pump timing chain covers will not match up with the older style standard flow (or at least mine didn't). If it is standard flow, then I might get one too.

 

[iskwezm]

cut the radiator support, it will give almost 3" of forward movemnt for the radiator and also allow more surface area of the core to get air.

 

[D Durden]

The current plan is to go with a different, shorter water pump and see if that gives us what we want. If it works, I'll post pics.

I really don't want to cut my car up so much at she looks like Joan Rivers. I've already go some "old work" that I need to patch back up from 10 years ago.

And paint looms large in the horizon. I dread that . . .

Thanks for all the help so far. If anyone has any other ideas, let me know, eh?

 

[mtaqua]

I also did the cutting, and it is not noticable, unless you are looking for stock look. When cut and painted it is not noticed, except by those who know what a 65/66 core support should look like. I'll see if I can get some pics.

 

[65coupe408w]

cut the radiator support, it will give almost 3" of forward movemnt for the radiator and also allow more surface area of the core to get air.

Good point on cutting the raditator support. I also did this when installing a crossflow. That also provides more room up front. I added a Monte Carlo bar to keep things rigid up front after removing some material from the radiator support.

 

[pmangelos]

Another option you can go with is a shorter water pump setup made by a place called Snow White out of Fresno CA. I have installed one in my 1965 FB with a 351 along with a large radiator and a Lincoln MkVII fan that is quite thick, I was able to fit the radiator and fan which measure about 8 1/2" thick.

 

[mtaqua]

pmangelos, you got pics? I also have a MK8 fan, but it is trimmed, and have almost no clearance. What did you do for pullies?

 

[pmangelos]

Mtaqua
I installed the Snow White water pump, here are a couple of pictures, I have not got everything finished yet but am getting closer. Snow White offers pulleys for their pump, I am using their pulleys but have modified things a bit as I want to run a custom power steering pump and am mounting the alternator differently as well (you can see my wooden mockup for an alternator bracket in the pics.) I cut down the Mark VIII fan shroud about 3/4" or so and notched my radiator support along with making the opening larger to fit the radiator. I had already modified my radiator support by making the top portion out of 1 1/4 square tubing in place of the folded edge to help support things before I cut it for the larger opening. I have over 1" of clearance from the water pump pulley to the fan, not a lot, but enough. Good luck.

 

[pmangelos]

Here are a couple of additional pics.