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Question:

water pump replacement..some opinions needed, electrical or not?

the car is a 1973 Pontiac Lemans, 350 V8. Water pump needs to be replaced. It's obviously a mechanical pump that's in there now. I was thinking of getting something with more capacity (to start off) as I feel the car could do with a better cooling system (and I have to get a water pump anyways). I was thinking of getting an electrical pump as that would also free up a bit of power from the engine. From what I gather, by doing this it seems I need to switch to an electrical fan also. Is that the case? Any advice/opinions on electrical systems and set ups? Any recommendations?Thanks in advance to anyone who answers. Much appreciated.

Answer:

The okorder / Of course, when you are doing this work you want to replace the thermostat, and back flush the rest of the cooling system!
stick with the stock set up
Nothing okorder and check out what will work best for you. I hope this helps and I love early '70's Lemans', Tempest's and GTO's so cool car bro.
Most 1973 era vehicles have a clutch on the fan which stops turning at higher engine rpm which saves horsepower. Your best option is to locate a high capacity water pump for your car or locate a radiator with more passes than the stock radiator. A radiator shop should be able to give you advise on both. Remember, the water pump is belt driven along with several other items on the engine, so replacing the water pump with an electric one might be far more involved and expensive. Plus, the water pump has a seal that must work properly for the engine to retain its cooling fluid. There are aftermarket cooling fans that can be installed in front of or behind the radiator to provide additional air flow, the local auto parts store should have a listing or a company like Summit. Fans can be manually turned on or have a thermo swithch which turns the fan on at a certain temp. These are usually options with the electric fan kits. Good luck.

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