stripped bolt for water pump HELP PLEASE!!!

ya that sucks......my old 65 block did that but beyond stripping the boss actually broke off........i removed it all, used good sealer and new gaskets and bolted a strap to the front of the water pump and to the head for extra clamping force, but thats on an old car and its no biggie, not really an option for yours....if it's only stripped, you'll need to get a heli coil for it.......you'll have to pull it apart......timing cover and all to do it right, pain in the butt but it'll be fixed, and while your at it clean the threads real good on all the bolts....that should work depending on what hole it is.......i absolutly hate, the small block ford water pump timing cover set up........

just use a tap......................not very hard at alll i used em when i stripped my header bolt once.................

i believe there are two bolts in the pan that go to the timing chain cover...just unbolt the two of them.

There are 4 bolts on the bottom that go into the timing cover - and many people loosen 2 or 3 more on each side to allow a little movement from the oil pan -- it makes removal and reinstallation of the front cover easier because of the locating dowels in the block. You'll also need a harmonic balancer puller if you don't have one. You really won't know what you'll find til you get in there. Perhaps the bolt threads stripped due to corrosion, and the block threads are ok. But you'll have to take it all apart and see. The main thing is to really take your time cleaning everything, so when it finally does go back together, you don't have a leak again. And use a torque wrench - if you follow your wrench and the torque settings, you won't strip any bolts. Be careful - with the front cover off, it's VERY easy to drop tools/bolts/gasket/coolant/debris into the end of the oil pan -- and you don't want that. I drain the front sump of oil, and stuff rags down in there so nothing else can get in. Use a shop vac to clean as much debris out of there when pulling the rag out, before you put things back together. Don't forget to top the oil back up - or just go ahead and do an oil change while you're at it.

You can just remove the pan to timing cover bolts, I would not loosen any other pan bolts.

Get a timing cover gasket kit that includes the short front sections of the pan to timing cover gasket and you are good to go.

I would drain the front sump afterwards and add an equivalent amout of oil, or do an oil change.

Good for you - nice when one works out that way!