Hello all,
I recently bought an electric FWC kit from Indigo for the usual reason - no room for Don's shaft-mounted pulley in front of the motor. Sorry Don - I promise I'll be spending some money with you very soon!
I know that there are a million ways to set these systems up, but I have two particular quandaries:
1. I have heard the pluses of the Thatch modification (coolant exits the forward end of the exhaust manifold instead of the aft), and I agree with those arguments. The Indigo instructions recommend it. However, on early model motors the coolant passage between head and exhaust manifold is a cast iron u-shaped pipe visible in the lower right hand corner of this photo:
If I remove this, will I find a tapped hole underneath it? If not, I don't think that this mod is worth removing the head to tap an NPT fitting. Even if there's a tapped hole under this u-shaped pipe, I'd have to loosen two head nuts to make the switch to a brass nipple, and I'm worried about the head gasket seal if I do this. Is it worth it? What would you do in this situation?
2. Most people seem to use the electric pump for the fresh water and the mechanical pump for the raw water. My early model motor is a really early model, and has the gear style water pump:
Some say this pump is great, but only if there's no sediment flowing through it. This argues that I should use the gear pump for the 'fresh' water (antifreeze). Others mention that because there's a stuffing box with the pump it will drip a little under normal operation. Not wanting coolant dripping into the bilge, this argues for using the electric pump for the antifreeze. Lastly, when it comes to winterizing, the electric pump seems like the winner - just turn it on with a switch (engine doesn't even have to run) to draw antifreeze into it and the rest of the raw water system through a Y valve on the intake. Any comments here? I think that I can catch any drips from the gear pump with an oil spill mat under the engine (something I'd use anyway), so I'm not too worried about coolant dripping into the bilge. Plus the existing pump is hard-plumbed with copper pipe to the side plate, and that all fits nicely behind the distributor. The early side plate fitting is so close to the distributor that I think I might have to go late model side plate to run a hose to it.
Thanks!!!
I recently bought an electric FWC kit from Indigo for the usual reason - no room for Don's shaft-mounted pulley in front of the motor. Sorry Don - I promise I'll be spending some money with you very soon!
I know that there are a million ways to set these systems up, but I have two particular quandaries:
1. I have heard the pluses of the Thatch modification (coolant exits the forward end of the exhaust manifold instead of the aft), and I agree with those arguments. The Indigo instructions recommend it. However, on early model motors the coolant passage between head and exhaust manifold is a cast iron u-shaped pipe visible in the lower right hand corner of this photo:
If I remove this, will I find a tapped hole underneath it? If not, I don't think that this mod is worth removing the head to tap an NPT fitting. Even if there's a tapped hole under this u-shaped pipe, I'd have to loosen two head nuts to make the switch to a brass nipple, and I'm worried about the head gasket seal if I do this. Is it worth it? What would you do in this situation?
2. Most people seem to use the electric pump for the fresh water and the mechanical pump for the raw water. My early model motor is a really early model, and has the gear style water pump:
Some say this pump is great, but only if there's no sediment flowing through it. This argues that I should use the gear pump for the 'fresh' water (antifreeze). Others mention that because there's a stuffing box with the pump it will drip a little under normal operation. Not wanting coolant dripping into the bilge, this argues for using the electric pump for the antifreeze. Lastly, when it comes to winterizing, the electric pump seems like the winner - just turn it on with a switch (engine doesn't even have to run) to draw antifreeze into it and the rest of the raw water system through a Y valve on the intake. Any comments here? I think that I can catch any drips from the gear pump with an oil spill mat under the engine (something I'd use anyway), so I'm not too worried about coolant dripping into the bilge. Plus the existing pump is hard-plumbed with copper pipe to the side plate, and that all fits nicely behind the distributor. The early side plate fitting is so close to the distributor that I think I might have to go late model side plate to run a hose to it.
Thanks!!!
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