OK, so when I got the '63 back to Arizona it did not like the 100+ degree days at all. Pulling a hill or sitting in traffic, the beast would start getting hot. Idiot light works, I know that, so I knew, especially with adding AC, that I was gonna have to do something serious. The original set-up is a 3 core radiator, that's adequate, but it had this tinky fixed 4 blade fan, just hanging out in space, flopping around and not doing much moving of the air. There was no shroud, just a flat plate on top to keep fingers out of the fan blade. The tinky 4 blade fan would be good at finger removal, but that's about it. I have a friend who, when I told him about the overheating issue, said, Hey, I have a '62 out back, lets go see how its set up. Well, his '62 four door LeSabre was AC equipped and its radiator was a three core as well, but it had a big shroud, smaller water pump pulleys and a 5 blade fan with clutch. After a brief discussion, he gave me all those parts - for free. Man, I owe him some beer and fresh baked pies. So I cleaned everything up, had the new old Harrison radiator totally rebuilt ($425) and, while I was in there, did the thermostat, hoses, belts, etc. I also pony'd up 150 bucks for the FlowKool (or whatever) water pump from Summit on e-Pay. BTW, all they do is tig weld a round stainless plate on top of the impeller, I suppose to improve the coolant flow. They do a very nice job on the rebuilding of the water pump, but I'm wondering if its worth the $$. I only broke off one of the rusted to hell 1/4-20 water pump mounting bolts during disassembly but went ahead and heli-coiled the 4 of them and chased the threads in everything else. So, all in all: NEW: radiator, water pump, thermostat, upper and lower radiator hoses, heater hoses, clamps. Used: Full fan shroud (had to modify top radiator mount to accommodate the shroud's center mount bolt on top and used heavy springs to secure the bottom) 5 blade clutched fan, smaller waterpump pulleys. I'm planning on adding AC to this car, so the radiator from the '62 is excellent because it has a 90 degree top inlet to steer the top hose out of the way of the AC compressor on the right side of the engine. THE CAR NOW RUNS COOL at 180-190 and doesn't care about pulling long hills in 100 degrees. Man, not sure exactly what fixed it but I'm pretty sure that it was a combination of all of the above. I really didn't want to run an aluminum radiator, and I'm real happy the OEM Harrison unit is in there. Anybody need a tinky 4 blade fan and pulley set up before I toss it? Free for the shipping. I also have an excellent three core radiator (with the straight inlet on the top and integral auto trans cooler). If somebody is nearby, I'll make 'em a deal on it. See my upcoming Scarebird disc brake conversion post too. The LeSabre has AWESOME brakes now too. YES that's a Booster Dewey booster/MC combo you see on the firewall…. Hunter
You should check out FlowKoolers website and see if the pump you received looks the same. The impeller design they have pictured is a lot different than what you described. I'm curious, because I was about to buy one myself. Perhaps you got an older design? Because previous times I've looked at their website the impeller certainly didn't look as it does now.
You are correct in that the one I bought from Summit doesn't look anything like the one on the FlowKooler website, NOR on Summit's ebay auction from when I bought. I've emailed FlowKooler AND Summit for an explaination. Wouldn't surprise me if the one I got from Summit (on ebay) was an old design or they were cleaning off their shelves of old stock or something else odd.. To be sure, the one in the ebay image is NOT the one I received. I'll update when I hear from FK and Summit. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I never even gave it another thought. H.
Question for you: The 62 that your buddy gave you some parts from, is it a parts car? I may be in the market for a few parts if so. I am in Phx. Thanks, Mike
Definitely let us know the outcome. I'd hate to order from Summit and get the old design, and I'd hate to order directly from FK and pay an extra $40. I'd suspect Summit has a bunch of the old design. It's not like it's a super in demand item. From what I can remember of the old impeller, the new CNC'd version should be a dramatic improvement.
Mike, the '62 is in a treasure trove belonging to close friends who never sell ANYTHING. You know the types. They're not rich, but are sitting on 100 acres and are comfortable. They're farmers and their boneyard is a damned Americana museum. They've got a Texaco gas pump that I'd give my left ARM for, but oh well.
LOL, yes I know the type. Sometimes it's hard to part with things. Are they in AZ? If they are willing to show off their treasures, I would love to check it out-love that stuff. But if they don't want to part with anything, sounds like they probably wouldn't welcome visitors either. Where in AZ are you located?
Mike, I'm living in Jerome, but I keep the Buick in a garage in Cottonwood. There's no room up here for a garage that will hold that boat! I was visiting the family in Camp Verde, because the old patriarch (born ON their ranch 94 years ago!) is ailing and not likely to be with us much longer. I wanted him to see the LeSabre cuz they've been a Buick Family forever. The old guy loved the Buick, perked up quite a bit and started telling stories about his brother who had a Buick dealership in Cottonwood. They've got a 67 four door Wildcat too. 35 years sitting in the mesquite has cooked these cars to a golden brown. Plus the neighbor kids beat all the glass out of them years ago. And tha packrats moved in once the tires went flat. They're toast for sure. Maybe they'd sell me both cars someday? I'll wait until the old dad is gone and let the dust settle before asking. I respect this family a lot and will miss the old guy. He has a million stories H.
SUMMIT FlowKooler Water Pump Bait and Switch I just got off the phone with FlowKooler customer service. The design Summit sold me is definitely the old design, since replaced with a CNC milled aluminum impeller. The guy said that, if I would pull the pump and ship it back, they would replace it with the new design at no csot except return shipping. I told him that I would duke it out with Summit first. I filed a dispute on ebay so we'll see how good their customer service is. FWIW, the FK guy said that the plate, tig welded to the back of the stock impeller, is an improvement over the stock design. Problem I have is that Summit shows the new design and ships the old one. That's out and out bait and switch, even if they didn't mean to. They really should state on their auction site that they are selling out their old design until they're gone…. I'll let you know what happens. Hold off on your purchase for now….
Summit Replacing H2O Pump After a week of waiting for a reply, Summit said the part was mis-boxed and requested that I return the old design FlowKooler pump for replacement. If they ship me the same obsolete pump again, I'm gonna have a cerebral hemorrhage.
Received the correct (latest) part today. It was a sealed FlowKooler box INSIDE the Summit box. Summit got a new one directly from FlowKooler and turned it around to me. Not sure how you can make DAMN sure that Summit will ship you the newest design, but if you order it, check to make sure and on ebay you can open a dispute to get them to send you the right one. A royal PIA, believe me, I know! Good luck all. H.
