Hey all...
Just wanted to hear some discussion on the Short vs. Long water pump for a small block chevy. The question is really about accessory bracketry and packaging.
My '77 truck is in need of a steering pump and I got to looking at the brackets. They're a mess because there are some dual purpose brackets (say...steering pump and smog pump each mount, at least in part, to the same bracketry). My truck didn't come with A/C and the smog pump is long gone (and will stay that way).
I know that a steering pump bracket and an alternator bracket (the two I'll need, at least for the forseeable future) are really cheap for a short water pump setup (Thank you circle track racers!). Like $30 and $20, respectively.
The bracketry for a long water pump setup is probably more available in junkyards, and I hear they are good for keeping stuff grouped closer to the center of the engine (shorter belts...probably a good thing).
In the case of my truck...I don't really have any packaging concerns. It came with a long pump setup and that's what is on it now. There's plenty of room to the sides for a short pump setup also, I think.
I'm kind of thinking along the lines of overall ease of working in and around the engine bay (I'll CERTAINLY have these brackets off a few times...it's inevitable. Think exhaust manifold/header gaskets and cam changes and whatnaught).
What do some of you who have made this choice before have to say about it? Do you like one of the setups better for any particular reason? Ease of maintenance, availability of parts, cost of parts, packaging, etc...
I'm leaning toward short pump setups...but maybe I need to hit the junkyard and find that there are some simple power steering brackets out there for the long pump...
Heck...if you feel like it, let me know which cars to look at (for EITHER setup) when I'm junkyard shopping.
Thanks!
Clem
i like the long pump, you can tuck stuff in close to the block. pulleys are easy and cheap to get, just get a dual crank pulley to run one alt belt and one ps belt, single water pump pulley to run off the alt belt, and if there are any extra chunks of power steering bracket you don't need bust out the cutoff wheel.
the only reason i have a short water pump setup on the belair is i had no room for fan if i went long.
if you find an 84-85 z28 in the yard you can grab its pulleys and run a nice short serpentine belt for the alternator and water pump and the crank has a v groove for the power steering.
There is surprisingly little difference in clearance with the short pump. many people get a short pump expecting more room but its not necessarily the case. The long pump has a deep dish to the pulley keeping the accessories within about 3/4" of a short pump. The main difference is the snout of the pump causing issues in tight spots.
I personally prefer the long pump - tons of junkyard parts. Short pumps were used so little and parts can be tougher to find. Dirt track racers use them, and so do marine applications. Look to boat boneyards for short pump brackets.
Or just use a long pump and avoid the headache.
If you swap it over and need a new pump I can hear it now. When you go to AutoPepZone the guy behind the computer will say "it cant have a diferent pump, the computer says it is this one. Sorry I cant find a different one. You mean there is more than one pump that will fit a chevy truck?"
"is it 4wd?"
"does it have air conditioning?"
grrr
The only reason they switched to the long water pump is when they started desigining cars with putting big blocks in them in mind it meant there was less stuff to change. Actually, if you had going to run air conditioning just get a serpentine setup (you can get an idler for the a/c too, but you have that big bracket that does nothing on that side then. One other good thing is that you can use a much better alternator (like a cs144). I have an extra bracket to fit the big alternator actually, but its got a piece broken off (not where it effects the function though).
If you use a serpentine belt set up, double check the water pumps. Some are reverse rotation.
On SBC, all factory serp belts had reverse rotation pumps
except the above mentioned hybrid system on the f body that was a couple year only deal. that uses a plain old standard rotation pump
porksboy wrote:
If you swap it over and need a new pump I can hear it now. When you go to AutoPepZone the guy behind the computer will say "it cant have a diferent pump, the computer says it is this one. Sorry I cant find a different one. You mean there is more than one pump that will fit a chevy truck?"
I've said it before and I'll say it again.
It would be ridiculous for myself, or anyone else to walk into a parts store and tell the guy I needed a pump for a '77 Chevy truck and then expect them to provide me with a pump that never came on that truck. That's a case of an obnoxious customer.
If you want to play the game...you've got to learn to play the game...
Clem
Thanks for the input folks.
It does seem like the fact that the long pump has been used for so long in so many cars (I can't imagine actually finding anything with a short water pump in a junkyard) that it would be the logical choice.
I was just really enticed by these cheap, simple, effective brackets the circle track racers use. Then I discovered that the two brackets I want would place both accessories in the same spot in space...ooops!
Looks like I'll swing by and get a replacement steering pump and clean up and use my current steering pump bracket for now.
Thanks!
Clem
