I just got my stewart stage 1 pump.. don't they usually come with the bolts? also is it a good idea to paint it? or is there some rust protectant coating on it already?

thanks.

 

You will need to use your old bolts or get new ones. You will also need to clean and paint the water pump before you install it or it will rust. If you like the looks of the iron then clean it and clear coat it with clear engine enamel or whatever kind of clear engine paint you can find.

Steve

 

They do not come with bolts. On mine, the stock ones would not fit, as the passages were so much larger that there wasn't room left for the heads of the bolts.

I went to Home Depot and got stainless steel Allen heads ones.

 

I also had bolt head clearance problems when I installed my Stewart pump a couple of years ago. I should have gone with the smaller head Allen bolts, but I was in a hurry, it was late at night, so I just took my dremel to the housing and CAREFULLY removed enough material so the bolts would tighten properly.

If I were you I would run down to the hardware store with your old bolts in hand and search for some Allen head bolts to replace them. Standard alloy bolts would be fine, stainless would be a bonus.

By the way: if you are searching for a fastener which your hardware store doesn't carry, look in the yello pages under Fasteners. You'd be surprised at how many specialty stores there are in any decent sized city which sell just bolts and screws of any size imaginable. I replaced all the bolts on my upper intake with stainless socket head allen bolts purchased from one of these places.