[Healeys] 100 water pumps

Bob Spidell bspidell at comcast.net
Sat Mar 6 17:15:53 MST 2021


The single most effective thing I did to alleviate heat-up at idle was 
to install a Hayden 7-bladed stainless steel flex fan (part of a kit 
with a shroud the Nocks once sold). I just couldn't stand the noise it 
made, and the fact it blew dust up from the road.

On 3/6/2021 12:06 PM, healeyguy at aol.com wrote:
> Gentlemen
> Interesting discussion but one of the items that we really have to 
> compare is the CFM of the radiator fan on the cars we are talking 
> about.  The 1955 T Bird uses, if I recall correctly a relatively small 
> diameter three bladed fan. The stock 100 4 blade aluminum fan does not 
> push much air either. Someone can run the numbers for a 4 blade, 15 
> inch diameter, 1 inch pitch blade and get the CFM at idle, 1000 and 
> 2500 (fan) RPM and get a reasonable idea of the 100's fans ability to 
> move air. Couple that with the lack of fan shrouding at the radiator 
> and the numbers are even worse.  CFM is a big part of this issue. I 
> would be surprised if we get 1000 CFM at cruising (2500 RPM). Imagine 
> what idle is like.....at least while cruising the air flow is 
> increased do to the car moving forward.
> I'm not a mechanical engineer so some of you ME's can jump in here.. 
> Can't hurt my feelings because I've been wrong many times before.....
> Perry
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Michael Salter via Healeys <healeys at autox.team.net>
> To: Bob Spidell <bspidell at comcast.net>
> Cc: healeys at autox.team.net <healeys at autox.team.net>
> Sent: Sat, Mar 6, 2021 12:20 pm
> Subject: Re: [Healeys] 100 water pumps
>
> Yes Bob, there is something wrong with our assumptions regarding the 
> cooling system not being "large" enough.
> My wifes Maxima is around 300 HP and the radiator has less area than 
> the 100. Certainly it has a couple of very effective electric fans but 
> they really don't cut in very often unless you have the AC on.
> I'm suspicious of the rate of circulation but I've talked to Larry 
> Varley about this subject and he indicated that increasing the size of 
> the water pump annular orifice didn't make much difference when he 
> tried it.
>
> M
>
> M
>
> On Sat, Mar 6, 2021 at 11:42 AM Bob Spidell <bspidell at comcast.net 
> <mailto:bspidell at comcast.net>> wrote:
>
>     I sold my late father's 1955 Thunderbird to my BFF. These cars
>     have a very similar problem to Healeys overheating, esp. at idle.
>     When Ford stuffed the 292ci Y-Block into the T-Bird, they found
>     the engine was (essentially) too short for the long-hooded car, so
>     they 'engineered'--I use the term loosely--a cast iron spacer to
>     move the fan closer to the radiator. The spacer had the added
>     'benefit' of severely limiting coolant flow through the pump and
>     radiator; there are some aftermarket fixes and my friend, after
>     doing the usual radiator re-core, better fan, etc. installed both
>     a better pump (larger vanes) and a re-engineered spacer. Attached
>     pic is not of the spacer he used--I can't find the link to it--but
>     it shows the general idea (Ford basically put a 'dam' in the
>     cooling system to block flow, and the improved spacers mostly
>     remove it). It appears this approach has improved cooling, though
>     the engine probably still gets warm if it has to sit too long at
>     idle. Link is to one of the improved pumps:
>
>     https://www.classictbird.com/Water-Pump-Modified-for-Higher-Output-1-Per-car/productinfo/8501HO/
>     <https://www.classictbird.com/Water-Pump-Modified-for-Higher-Output-1-Per-car/productinfo/8501HO/>
>
>     Anyways, after doing all the usual stuff to increase cooling, esp.
>     on my BJ8, I've wondered if a similar approach would work on
>     Healeys. Their pumps have very small vanes, and the cavity in
>     which the vanes operate seems pretty small for such a large lump
>     of cast iron (I'm guessing an uprated radiator core won't help
>     much if the coolant flow is still hampered; at least, that's what
>     I've found). This is probably not an option as, of course, our
>     engines don't have a similar spacer to be improved upon, and it
>     would be a major task to increase both the cavity's size and the
>     pump (but I can dream).
>
>     ps. The overheating issue with Healeys is usually attributed to
>     too big of an engine in too small of an engine compartment, and
>     too little airflow. But, the engine bay in an old T-Bird is huge
>     by comparison--and the engine not terribly larger in
>     displacement--and still suffers the same problem.
>
>     Bob
>
>     On 3/6/2021 5:57 AM, Michael Salter via Healeys wrote:
>>     After a couple of premature failures of repro 100 water pumps I
>>     decided to look into rebuilding them with a modern seal and
>>     sealed bearings.
>>     I have some concerns about the small size of the annulus through
>>     which all the coolant must pass in the original design so I have
>>     managed to install a considerably smaller seal as in the pics
>>     attached.
>>     After bench testing one of the prototypes is now fitted to my car
>>     awaiting a test drive as soon as the snow is gone.
>>
>>     On Fri., Mar. 5, 2021, 11:13 p.m. S and T Miller via Healeys,
>>     <healeys at autox.team.net <mailto:healeys at autox.team.net>> wrote:
>>
>>         What's the skinny on the repo 100 water pumps? Hear they leak
>>         and need broken in dry. Uprated pump any good? Moss states
>>         the brass tap can be screwed into the uprated pump, but from
>>         the pictures it actually looks like the standard has threads
>>         and not the uprated. Can anyone confirm? Rebuild
>>         original?Thoughts/ advice welcomed?
>>         TY, Shawn
>>
>>         The Millers
>>
>>         "Always drive them, but remember each drive in an antique car
>>         is a test drive."
>>
>
>

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