From my searches here about water pump rebuild kits I find that members seem to lack a source for this item.

I've ordered water pump rebuild kits for my 57 T-Bird from John Plaskan, Webster, Fl. $35 plus $8 shipping, telephone 813-713-5820. web presence: cowboyjohnsautoparts.com.

Recently I ordered a kit for the '70 W30 pump, casting 404847. I installed the rebuild kit in the pump, but have not installed the pump yet. However, the T-Bird pump has been installed and works fine, so I have no reason to believe things would be different with the 404847. John tells me he can supply the water pump tubes too, if needed. I have not purchased tubes from John, but I have purchased water pump tubes or nipples from Alex's Auto Parts (https://www.alexsparts.com/categories/WATER-TUBES/). These tubes are advertised for the Ford water pump; however, they fit fine in the Olds pump. 3/4" x 1-3/4".

I have uploaded a few pictures of the rebuild kit, tubes, and pictues showing parts of the installation process, which I hope is helpful to othere.

I have no personal affiliation with this seller and make this post only to pass along helpful information. I hope this helps someone else down the road.

 

Great info and thanks for sharing!

So how did you get the cast impeller off the shaft? I tried several years ago and stopped as it appeared the impeller would break.

 

I have found the easiest way to get a water pump apart is first to begin with a clean water pump. Hence, I soak the pump for several days in a cleaner/solvent. Then I spray the area where the impeller is attached with Deep Creep or some other lubricant and let that soak for a day or so. Several times a day, ping it with a hammer to allow the lubricant to penetrate. Do the same thing at the hub end.

There is certainly other ways to dissamble a water pump but I start by removing the hub with a puller first (see Fig. 4);


Next position a universal sleeve or large socket over the end of the pump as seen in Fig 13 and press shaft, bearing,and race from the inside out, freeing the impeller. Save the impeller, discard the bearing shaft and race. The bearing shaft and race will drop through the sleeve, so be certain you select an appropriate sleeve to allow this. Fig 4 and Fig 13 are generic pictures and are not intended to resemble Oldsmobile water pumps.

My shop is equipped with a 20T Harbor Freight Press I purchased off Craigs List. That said, I've never had a problem getting a water pump apart, YET!

 

Thanks for the info. I also have a 20 ton HF press and a ball joint press kit, which may have a sleeve that would work for the water pump.

 

Thanks for the info!!! I went on John Paskons site, very nice!. I emailed him with my needs('68 442 w a/c) & he got right back to me. I still have my original pump so I'm going to order his kit for $35 & see what happens.

 

Kits are getting more difficult to find all the time. For some reason, rebuilders will not sell them; it must have something to do with profit
For fear I will not have a source one day, I keep several kits on hand and store them in a Foodsaver air-tight bag in a cool place in the shop.

I personally receive a great deal of satisfaction from rebuilding a water pump, or fuel pump for that matter. Just be sure your pump is clean and lubricated; it should come apart quite easily. Keep the pressing process straight and level, the length of the sleeves, push pins etc to a minimum, as this prevents wobble and promotes stability in the pressing procedure. Wear safety glasses. Take pictures and measurements prior to the dissamble of your pump.

Here is an informative link that will help with a good many questions that may come to mind:

 

this has been a great source of info for me and thanks for the picture tutorial as well. i attempted to rebuild my water pump today and ordered the parts from John. new bearings pressed out well. I noticed a problem with the seal. It went in loosely. Meaning it would rattle in the housing . it seemed about 1/32 - 1/16 too small. not a tight fit. i expected a very tight fit ..did you encounter this problem?

 

No. Scott the seal should be snug, no loosey-goosey after it is pressed in and seated. It is a simple press-in to seat it. Obviously the wrong seal was picked up and put in your kit. Call John (the seller) and explain.

Good luck,.....

 

Let me try this again. Scott there should be no loosey-goosey once the seal is seated and where I have the red arrow pointed in this picture.

 

I talked to John this morning. He has seen this before in a few W-30's over the years. He maintains that is the proper seal according to the book but has a notion that OLDS might have changed some tolerances on the seal side. . He is in the process of shipping me a proper seal. I took more precise measurements of my housing and the seal that was shipped in the rebuild kit. i recommend that DIY guys measure the housing before ordering. Its a relatively easy process with a press and some patience

 

obviously you can see the difference. no idea if this was factory or privately machined

 

Scott please post a picture of the front side of the waterpump. Is this the X 404847 core?

I don't know if Olds changed tolerances, but I wouldn't put it past someone with a lathe.

 

it is

 

I've rebuilt 3 of these cores in the last several years and the seals provided to me by John fit as expected. Anyway, it sounds as if things have been made right.
Be mindful of the allowable tolerance between the backside of the impeller and the housing when you press the impeller on. This is important.
Good luck with the rest of the job.

 

just a quick update...John sent me another seal that worked perfectly. I installed using a shop press and a feeler gauge. be very mindful of not crushing the seal while also using a straight edge to make sure impeller is below the housing. Go slow! not a lot of room for error. Pump will feel tight when hand spun and i predict this is normal. I reassembled the front of the engine and fired the motor up. Had a few drips of coolant but that seemed to go away after a few minutes of running and a few restarts. I assume the seal had to seat itself properly. All in all a pretty easy job for a novice. If you have access to a shop press, I highly suggest trying it yourself but defiantly get some accurate measurements before contacting john for a kit. . its about a $50-$75 job