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6/24/19: I stripped down the front of the truck to install the water pump relocation plate and all the other parts associated with this mod. Starting with removal of the latch plate panel, then I drained and removed the radiator. When I removed the grille, I discovered that it wasn’t bolted in, aside from the bolts I removed from the latch plate panel. In addition, the radiator support wasn’t attached at the bottom, allowing me to lift the whole front sheet metal assembly.

Removing the existing water pump, alternator and associated brackets went easy as did the removal of the harmonic balancer. I don’t have the proper removal tool, but since the balancer was shot anyway, it didn’t matter if It was damaged any further. I have a three jaw puller so I used that around the outside of the balancer, a no-no normally, but it worked and it’s off. On to the oil seal. My seal had been leaking as evidenced by a small puddle on the cement floor so it needs to be changed. I used a small three jaw puller with the jaws inverted and was able to pull out the seal successfully without any damage to the cover.

I pre-fit the new 52’ 216 water pump and relocation plate. The two countersunk holes in the plate did not line up perfectly with the water pump. When I tightened them they would offset the other holes slightly. I can’t say if it was the new water pump I purchased from RockAuto or the relocation plate I purchased from Ebay. I figured that I could tweak the holes a bit to get them all to line up.

I installed the plate with the water pump attached to the block and used a transfer punch to mark the holes. After removing the plate, I drilled with a small bit to help keep the larger bit on track. I followed with the 5/16” bit marked with tape 3/4” from the end to keep me from going too deep. This went relatively quick, maybe a total of 5 minutes per hole. I then tapped the holes with a 3/8”-16 starting tap followed by a bottoming tap. This also went fairly quick.

I reinstalled the plate and attached water pump to check the alignment of the holes. The new tapped holes were off just enough that I couldn’t get the bolts in. They were only off a small bit so I enlarged the holes in the plate by 1/32” which solved the problem. I didn’t have the silicone I needed to finish the water pump relocation plate installation, so I spent the rest of the day cleaning and painting the new “old” harmonic balancer and fan blade I obtained from Bob Adler’s Antique Auto Parts. The area of the hub where the seal rides is worn slightly and after posting on Stovebolt forums I decided on sleeving it, so I ordered the sleeve.