Practically Classics Forum

i went for yellow in the jcb

Theory with the water pump is you simply turn the nut on top of the pump to twist and release the pump from the block. In 1977 this might have stood a chance but 36 years later this just isn't happening. Time to get the welding gear out and improvise

By this stage I had already decided to fit a full brand new pump rather than mess around with repair kits ect so I could now go for it with gusto.......

I assume the brass cage is still in the block? It's a right ball ache of a job, not long done the Dolomites pump, but I went the repair kit route as mine is the earlier 12 vane pump.

Yes it left the brass cage behind, some very careful cutting weakend it to the point were it cracked and I was able to remove it

Nice! But shouldn't a '77 have a 12 vane impeller? If the whole pump has been swapped out for that 6 vane one then all well and good as that will reduce cavitation and generally work better than the 12 vane pump, but if someone tried to fit a 6 vane impeller to a 12 vane cover it'll go in but won't flow as much as it should and will be all but impossible to shim correctly which will allow the impeller to move far too much vertically and load the jackshaft massively.

Apologies if I'm trying to teach a bargee to haul coal, and yes, by the time coolant appears through the dribble slot in the block then it's all got to be torn down anyway, but Triumph/Saab SL4/V8 water pumps are notorious for being forced together from mismatched parts and when someone's done that, I always start having bad dreams about jackshaft trouble - a bigger cause of SL4 trouble than those pesky carbon seals.
But hey, the shell's good and that matters far more than a mildly incontinent engine. I can understand why you'd have gone for the Brooklands one but the welding you were doing on the lighter (was it Java?) car was looking brilliant, shame you had to let that one go in a way.

Rob, the 12 vane pump came later and oh the luxury of being able to change the alternator with the radiator still in the car! The 6 vane one was the more efficient but it's taken history and failures of later pumps to demonstrate this, or you could fit a Saab 8 vane impeller under a modded cover for a 12 vane Dolly one.

The pump came from TR7 specialists S&S, this item is made in Japan and the quality is obvious over the cheaper ones available. It was very expensive but I'm told you only need one kidney anyway...................

I'm sure the 6 vane is standard for my car but I'm willing to be corrected!!!!