Hey All:

Have a 500BB in a 1973 Road Runner. Meziere pump can't keep up. Looking to go to a stock-style pump with aluminum housing.

Car came with this electric water pump, so I basically have nothing to start with. Any recommendations on aluminum housings/pumps.

I imagine this big motor needs some serious cooling. Web search says stay away from 440 source, but I'm blind otherwise.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks,
Steve

I run the MP housing and HV pump slightly overdriven (~7%) on a 496 w. AC. Works great. Not available now. If I replaced, I wold run the Mancini HV pump and housing. Lots of posts on the 440 source... my take the housing is OK and not sure about the pump.

I use an aluminum housing and waterpump that I bought from Mancini and it was their product as it was cheaper then the MP part. He said its basically the same as the MP part but it has Mancini's name on it instead of MP on it. Its been on my eng for over 4 years and it works good and cools fine. Course I painted it Hemi orange. Ron

I wouldn't be so quick to blame the Meziere pump for your cooling issues. I had a Meziere on my supercharged 528 Hemi, and I never had a cooling issue on the street down here in central Florida. I'm betting your problem is due to something else. For starters, does your fan have a shroud?

if a Meziere pump can't keep up you have problems else where.

I have a Meziere 45 gpm pump that fits in the factory housing and it keeps my 800+ hp hemi cool.
I agree w/ the other guys, you may have another problem w/ your cooling system. Which Meziere pump do you have? They make 4 different ones for a BB Mopar. A 35 gpm, 40 gpm, 45 gpm like I have, and a 55 gpm monster.

This is the 55 gpm meziere.



Car has an electric fan on it. Might not be up to the challenge I suppose. Original 340 small block radiator.

Definitely not the pump at fault here.

Specifically, what kind of fan do you have?
Sounds like it may be time for a new/bigger radiator too.

I use an electric fan and shroud setup from a 2003 Viper. Friend got it for me w/ his discount through the dealership he works at. Pretty cheap if you know someone that works at one.
I also have a Griffin aluminum radiator w/ 2 rows of 1.25" tubes. It's a direct bolt in and is the biggest one that would fit. Not cheap, but made a BIG improvement in my temp on the street.

I believe its a Black Magic fan from Flexalite. Or at least looks like one I had on a Mustang previously.

I'm hopeful they would make a similar better radiator for a B-body. The opening is pretty small on this '73

Your radiator is most likely too small for
the BB.. if it is you should be able to cruise at
55mph without a fan(just the air flow is enough to
keep it cool).. the 55gph pump is fine... if it stays
cool at 55 mph the its a low speed issue and not a
radiator issue... could be a shroud or a fan... not
all electric fans are made equal.. remember that a spill
ring on the ends of the blades helps... try to find a
fan in the 2500 cfm or more range... also.. try to get the
air to cross the radiator and not slide around it

Seal the space between the hood and the top of the radiator support so the air doesn't recirculate.

As others have said, the pump is NOT your problem. Small radiator and just a mediocre fan likely just slapped on the radiator where it would fit, is NOT going to get it done.

Monte

Depends on the type of driving that you're doing. For drag racing and pro street type driving the Meziere should work fine. If you are road racing then you'll need a belt driven pump to keep up.

This is just idling. It just keeps going up and up.

Do you have a stat in it... are you SURE its
opening.. verify in a pan of boiling water... once
you do that make sure the water is actually flowing

That could be caused by a bunch of things, some of which are bad. You need to figure it out. Could be a blocked water passage, a blown head gasket, a collapsed radiator hose, a blocked thermostat, a plugged up radiator, etc. None of those are good problems to have.

I doubt it is the pump but it could be. The wiring might be shot on the pump or maybe the impeller is cracked or maybe there is some gunk in the system that is plugging things up.

In addition to what AndyF said, I would also look at the fan, because it could be a lack of air flow through the radiator. Shop for a fan based on two primary considerations: CFM rating, and radiator coverage. Put the largest, highest CFM rated electric fan(s) that will fit. The more radiator fin area that is covered by the fan(s), the better. Don't just look at aftermarket fans. There are quite a few OEM fans that pull big CFM numbers, and are reliable. However, big CFM fans typically means big amp draw, so don't expect to run one without a BIG relay, or better yet, a fan controller unit.

If you decide to change the radiator, shoehorn the biggest aftermarket aluminum radiator that will fit between the frame rails, even if it means drilling new mounting holes and/or doing some surgery on the radiator core support. Extra cooling capacity is never a bad thing.

No T-stat. I can see the pump moving water. If you run the car to temp, shut it off, let it sit for a minute then turn the pump on, the temp on the mechanical gauge takes a big dip.

Also pretty sure its not a head gasket. Car runs excellent, no oil in water and vice versa.

Radiator is 42 years old. Seems like a likely culprit. Reading a bunch about how Mustang guys don't really like this black magic fan much, and that's for a 9:1 302, not a 12:1 big block....

I would say the problem is no stat... The water pump is designed to circulate water through the block, not the radiator. The water circulates through the motor and gets hot - meanwhile, the water in the radiator gets cooled by the fan.
Once the motor water is hot enough, the T-stat opens and the Difference in temperature of the motor water and the radiator water is what causes the two volumes of water to exchange (violently !). Now that the engine water is replaced by the cooled radiator water, the thermostat closes and the cycle begins again.