is there anyway to powder coat or chrome a water pump without ruining the seals in it? my water pump bearings just took a crap, but i dont want to put a plain cast iron pump back on. or should i spend the extra $130 on a polished aluminum piece?

 

Why not just use high-gloss engine paint?

 

i don't think powder coating would hurt seals or bearings. even if it does take the pump apart before you have it done and reassemble when it's coated. i think paint is another option.

 

paint just isnt as nice, and since everything else on the engine is either polished or powder coated i would like to keep with the theme...

when the shop puts the water pump in the oven to cure the powder coat, it wont melt the seals?

 

ask them, be best to take seals and bearings out, actually i think they all use a sealed bearing.

 

Ede's right. Most SBC pumps use a single cartidge bearign with seals. If you're dead set on powder coat, disassemble the pump and have at it.

 

yeah i think it would be best to disassemble it

one shop told me that i wouldnt need to worry about the seals, and one said that they wont powder coat water pumps just for that reason.

 

Powder coating involves baking; seems like that would be hard on rubber parts.

It would definitely be best to disassemble it first. Mybe get new bearings & seals while you're at it, so it's basically renewed while you're at it.... it would suck to spend a bunch of time & money on doing all that, then have the WP go bad a month later, and have to be replaced anyway.

 

We do powder coating here at the shop, and you definatly need to disasemble to powdercoat.

 

thank you, that is what i needed to know

RB83L69, the bearings already went out on mine, thats why im looking into getting a better looking replacement

 

i may have jus got lucky but i powder coated mine myself this winter assembled and have had any probs i jus baked it on a little lower temp

 

FYI for ya guys: They bake it @ 400+ degrees for like 1 1/2 hours. Anyway thats how long they were doing handrail and such that our shop were getting coated. I was wanting to get my new HSR (will be here tuesday) coated, but have heard of guys intakes getting tweaked in the process.