BUSY BOLTERS Are you one? The Shop Area
continues to pull in the most views on the Stovebolt. In August alone there were over 22,000 views in those 13 forums.
| | Click on image for the lowdown. 
====
| | Forums66 Topics126,780 Posts1,039,294 Members48,100 | Most Online2,175 Jul 21st, 2025 | | | Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 Shop Shark | Shop Shark Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 | I've got my 1960 235 mounted in my '49 AD frame. The pulley is obviously much too big and long.
Are my only two options either a short shaft pump as seen for $150 or an adapter plate and a 216 pump?
Is there any of the FLAP rack pump I could use in conjunction with an electric fan that might be a better option?
If not, how hard is it to drill the engine and ream the holes for the plate? | | | | Joined: Jan 2000 Posts: 2,074 'Bolter | 'Bolter Joined: Jan 2000 Posts: 2,074 | I've got short pump/pulley, made my own pushed hub back on shaft found shallow pulley, trimmed off excess shaft. My buddy went with short shaft/pulley but no fan, just electric controlled via therm. unit.
OR buy an adaptor plate off ebay (Pre68Dave) and use 216 pump/pulley. It's around $40. | | | | Joined: May 2001 Posts: 7,440 Extreme Gabster | Extreme Gabster Joined: May 2001 Posts: 7,440 | You can modify the water pump yourself. Press the pulley mount to where needed, install 292 Ford pulley, cut off excess shaft.
The 216 pulley will not work for this. The diameter is too small. There are others that will. The diameter needs to be close to the same as the 235 pulley and the right height to give you clearance.
This is the way it was done before vendors started gouging people for the short shaft water pump.
That being said, if I had it to do today I'd go with the adapter. | | | | Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 1,410 ODSS President | ODSS President Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 1,410 | You can modify the water pump yourself. Press the pulley mount to where needed, install 292 Ford pulley, cut off excess shaft.
The 216 pulley will not work for this. The diameter is too small. There are others that will. The diameter needs to be close to the same as the 235 pulley and the right height to give you clearance.
This is the way it was done before vendors started gouging people for the short shaft water pump.
That being said, if I had it to do today I'd go with the adapter. I went with the short shaft/ford pulley and as a daily driver only vehicle the last 16 years never over heated. Like Cletis, now that this adapter plate has it all sorted out I would consider the change.
~ Cosmo 1949 Chevy Half Ton Rocinante, like Don Quixote, he is awkward, past his prime, and engaged in a task beyond his capacities. "...my good horse Rocinante, mine eternal and inseparable companion in all my journeys and courses." ...Don Quixote, Cervantes "If you come to a fork in the road, take it."...Yogi Berra "Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." ...Eric Hoffer
| | | | Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 Shop Shark | Shop Shark Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 | OK I ordered the adapter. Easy enough to drill and tap some holes.
BUT if I'm using the 216 water pump the pulley sizes are now out of whack. Does this require a different size harmonic balancer and, if so, does changing that require pulling the cam, etc? | | | | Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 5,320 'Bolter | 'Bolter Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 5,320 | What width belt would you like to run?
See the USA in your vintage Chevrolet! My Blog | | | | Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 Shop Shark | Shop Shark Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 | What width belt would you like to run? I think 3/8" is best, no? | | | | Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 5,320 'Bolter | 'Bolter Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 5,320 | The 1953-54 216/early 235 style pump comes with a 3/8" belt pulley and works with the plate. There are a number of choices with balancers, the only one I do not recommend using is the 1955-62 passenger. There is a list of balancers on my blog, at the bottom of my wright up about my adapter.
See the USA in your vintage Chevrolet! My Blog | | | | Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 5,320 'Bolter | 'Bolter Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 5,320 | BTW, nothing but the balancer needs to be removed to change it.
See the USA in your vintage Chevrolet! My Blog | | | | Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 Shop Shark | Shop Shark Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 | Dave - Do you know if the balancer (which I assume is the pulley/thing the belt goes around) from a '61 truck engine works with the pump you're talking about?
Was reading your site. It says"
Caution: I do not recommend using the 1955-62 passenger balancer since the pulley is larger and may turn the fan too fast, leading to cracking. (to identify this balancer, the pulley is 6 3/4" OD X 5/8" outside to outside edge).
Are those dimensions for the car pulley or the truck pulley?
Also, what's the advantage of this over whatever pump and an electric fan?
Last edited by jrdamien; 06/29/2014 1:04 AM.
| | | | Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 3,399 Gas Pumper | Gas Pumper Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 3,399 | For those who feel there is no reason to deviate from the very well done mechanicals of the time, an electric fan is blasphemy. The mechanical fan works perfectly and honors the era the truck was made. Others may say why fix whats not broke. If you are putting AC in the truck that's another thing.
Once you have this initial problem figured out, you will feel just fine with the mechanical fan. I was there once. Trust Dave to help you with getting over the hump. You will be glad you did.
My 1959 261 with Daves water pump plate and the corresponding water pump works perfectly. No changing where the radiator sits, no worries about fan clearance, nothing. Hope this helps! | | | | Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 5,320 'Bolter | 'Bolter Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 5,320 | Dave - Do you know if the balancer (which I assume is the pulley/thing the belt goes around) from a '61 truck engine works with the pump you're talking about?
Was reading your site. It says"
Caution: I do not recommend using the 1955-62 passenger balancer since the pulley is larger and may turn the fan too fast, leading to cracking. (to identify this balancer, the pulley is 6 3/4" OD X 5/8" outside to outside edge).
Are those dimensions for the car pulley or the truck pulley? Yes, the identification is for the pass balancer, ie the one not to use. The truck balancer will works great.
See the USA in your vintage Chevrolet! My Blog | | | | Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 Shop Shark | Shop Shark Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 | Dave - Do you know if the balancer (which I assume is the pulley/thing the belt goes around) from a '61 truck engine works with the pump you're talking about?
Was reading your site. It says"
Caution: I do not recommend using the 1955-62 passenger balancer since the pulley is larger and may turn the fan too fast, leading to cracking. (to identify this balancer, the pulley is 6 3/4" OD X 5/8" outside to outside edge).
Are those dimensions for the car pulley or the truck pulley? Yes, the identification is for the pass balancer, ie the one not to use. The truck balancer will works great. Awesome. So what's the dimension of the truck balancer? I'll be ordering the bracket tonight. | | | | Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 5,320 'Bolter | 'Bolter Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 5,320 | All the dimensions of the truck balancer are highlighted in blue at the bottom of my Blog link I posted above.
See the USA in your vintage Chevrolet! My Blog | | | | Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 Shop Shark | Shop Shark Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 | OK. I'm not necessarily confused but have an additional question. Don't use the passenger pulley but use the truck pulley. Pulleys are the same diamater. The only difference is the belt width of 1/8". Is that difference in diameter enough to make a great enough difference in the pump speed?
I measured mine. I measured twice. I could have sworn the pulley diameter is 7.75 inches. Now I'll have to go back tomorrow and measure again. | | | | Joined: Oct 2012 Posts: 92 Shop Shark | Shop Shark Joined: Oct 2012 Posts: 92 | If you read Pre Dave's blog in the paragraph above the bit about spinning to quick it reads the following quote...
1941-52 Harmonic balancer and water pump for ⅝" belt. 1953-54 Harmonic balancer* and water pump for ⅜" belt. * For ⅜" belt an acceptable substitution is to use a 1955-62 truck balancer. This balancer is designed for a ½” belt but may be used with a ⅜" belt. This will allow the belt to run deeper in the groove and in affect will reduce the diameter to very near the correct size.
So by running the truck balancer the difference of 1/8 isn't in the diameter but the width of the pully groove allowing the 3/8 belt to drop deeper into it and in turn reducing the overall diameter that the belt is turning around., as also mentioned by Pre Dave in that blue highlighted quote.
I used the balancer from my 216 for this application. I run a more modern flex fan, a 15" PermaCool to be exact. 6 blades, and it was very close to kissing the larger diameter 235 pulley. That's why I pulled the one off my 216. Runs great. Good luck, take your time, and don't drill into the block too deep...Phil
Phil
| | | | Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 Shop Shark | Shop Shark Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 | Here's my 235 balancer. http://i.imgur.com/GhfeyHNl.jpg7 3/4" diameter. Is this incorrect or...? Is this too large a balancer to use on the earlier water pumps with the bracket? If I've got to pull the balancer and source a 216 balancer, plus bracket and new pump, it'd be easier to put an electric fan in. | | | | Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 5,320 'Bolter | 'Bolter Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 5,320 | The diameter of the balancer is not what you need to measure, it is the pulley diameter and width.
See the USA in your vintage Chevrolet! My Blog | | | | Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 Shop Shark | Shop Shark Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 | The diameter of the balancer is not what you need to measure, it is the pulley diameter and width. Ha, OK. Well I'll measure that 3 times tonight. Meanwhile I purchased the plate.  | | | | Joined: Dec 2001 Posts: 1,248 'Bolter | 'Bolter Joined: Dec 2001 Posts: 1,248 | Where is a good place to buy an early style water pump?? I seen over on the HAMB forum, some fellow bought a rebuilt from NAPA and had it go bad in a few days, returned and replaced it with another to have it also fail, and I believe even a third time had it to fail. Finally the NAPA refunded his money and told him they didn't carry them anymore. Probably got tired of replacing it. I've looked for kits to rebuild them, but the only thing that shows up is NOS ones. Who knows how good the seal and bearing might still be in those....
John | | | | Joined: Sep 2012 Posts: 217 'Bolter | 'Bolter Joined: Sep 2012 Posts: 217 | Just got one from NAPA but have not run long enough for any failure. Ran long enough to get it up to temp and open the thermostat. Hope it doesn't fail...... | | | | Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 Shop Shark | Shop Shark Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 | Yes I've seen them listed at all the flaps. | | | | Joined: Jan 2000 Posts: 2,074 'Bolter | 'Bolter Joined: Jan 2000 Posts: 2,074 | I'd look at Rockauto.com, great site to compare brands/prices, costs nothing to shop. Very speedy delivery also. | | | | Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 5,320 'Bolter | 'Bolter Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 5,320 | I buy brand new ones at my FLAPS.
See the USA in your vintage Chevrolet! My Blog | | | | Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 Shop Shark | Shop Shark Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 | Well I already feel like an idiot so here's some more pics and another question. The Pulley Pulley Width So the pulley is marginally smaller than the balancer and still likely slightly larger than 6.75". And the pulley is wider, as measured from outside to outside, than 1/2" - really more like 5/8's. But is this what's meant by 1/2" when discussing the pulley width as compared to 3/8? | | | | Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 5,320 'Bolter | 'Bolter Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 5,320 | A pulley designed for a 3/8" belt is 5/8" wide measuring from the outside to outside(yours). A pulley designed for a 1/2" belt will measure 3/4". It looks like you have a 1955-62 passenger car balancer.
See the USA in your vintage Chevrolet! My Blog | | | | Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 Shop Shark | Shop Shark Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 | Of course it is... darn. So what do I need to do now? Find a truck balancer? | | | | Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 5,320 'Bolter | 'Bolter Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 5,320 | There is a list of recommended balancers on my blog. The risk with using the 1955-62 passenger balancer is over speeding the fan. With a stock fan this will flex the fan more than designed for and can lead to cracking. BTW this should be fun or you need a different hobby 
See the USA in your vintage Chevrolet! My Blog | | | | Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 Shop Shark | Shop Shark Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 | Dave - Thanks. I guess I'm asking of the larger Stovebolt community: "Where do I find a truck balancer?"
It is very fun but there is so much to do, almost none of it has gone easy, and I'm renting a garage that I'm losing access to very soon.
Last edited by jrdamien; 07/02/2014 7:43 PM.
| | | | Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,262 Bubba - Curmudgeon | Bubba - Curmudgeon Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,262 | Place a Part Wanted Ad in the Swap Meet. Be sure to post the diameter and groove size you want.
Maybe someone will post a source of a new balancer - I think someone has done so, and is was $$$.
| | | | Joined: Nov 2006 Posts: 2,544 Shop Shark | Shop Shark Joined: Nov 2006 Posts: 2,544 | Check with French Lake Auto parts, (320) 274-8497 www.frenchlakeautoparts.com | | | | Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 Shop Shark | Shop Shark Joined: Oct 2013 Posts: 367 | I wanted to correct what I said about getting a pump from local FLAPS. NONE of the local ones (so far) have one in stock and only a few can order them. NAPA can't get any. | | |
| |