Water pump replacement issue

[babywag]

Unfortunately the cast iron pumps seem to have major fitmit problem. I've gone with the aluminum GMB pumps on both my FSJs and have been happy with them.

This! Last 3 cast pumps I’ve bought were all crap and had to grind them on bottom to fit.
I have also been pleased with aluminum gmb, actually fit and hose fittings are correct size(s).

[Charles Kline]

Unfortunately the cast iron pumps seem to have major fitmit problem. I've gone with the aluminum GMB pumps on both my FSJs and have been happy with them.

This! Last 3 cast pumps I’ve bought were all crap and had to grind them on bottom to fit.
I have also been pleased with aluminum gmb, actually fit and hose fittings are correct size(s).

And the casting isn’t garbage causing the ports to be 60% the size they are meant to be.

[mgbreis]

Just a quick final update. I got the pump back off, ground the housing and made a new gasket. When I re-installed it I made sure to leave all the bolts loose while I pulled it up as far as possible before tightening down. You can move the pump around a lot with the bolts loose, I guess that's why the two pulleys were interfering. Everything seems fine now, and the good news is I think I could remove and replace a water pump while blindfolded now. It was a very frustrating process but that's part of working on old iron. I'm glad just to have it out of the garage and moving again. Thanks for the help!

[Charles Kline]

Unless you have a mill I don't see how a person could grind it flat enough to have a hope of sealing it.

For the $35 just pick up the aluminum one.

[babywag]

Unless you have a mill I don't see how a person could grind it flat enough to have a hope of sealing it.

For the $35 just pick up the aluminum one.

It's not a sealing issue, the casting is way too thick/wide compared to an OEM pump.
Just needs to be ground on bottom so it doesn't rub on the harmonic balancer.
I had a lengthy email exchange with a QC guy @ GMB, he sympathized and understood the problem, but nothing ever became of the discussion.
His recommendation was to use their aluminum pump LMAO.
Their cast iron pump is a big 'ole POS!

Hello Tony,
I completely agree that a new part should be able to fit without modification and you should not have to constantly retighten the hoses. I looked into this issue further and have some additional information for you.

Based on your description of the issue, I think part number 110-1040P would be a better fit for your vehicle. This is the high performance version of 110-1040. It comes with an aluminum body, different impeller design, and wider radiator hose openings. The different impeller design and larger openings allow for more coolant flow and should allow your engine to run at a temperature that you would expect. The casting on these parts is also much smoother and I believe it will be up to your standards.

I also checked the casting and found that it is ~1/16” thinner on average than the standard 110-1040 housing. I understand that this is only half the clearance difference that you mentioned but I am not sure of the exact location on the pump that had to be ground.
Please let me know if you found this information to be helpful. I understand that this was a tremendous inconvenience for you but I would recommend contacting us before trying to modify a part in the future as we may have alternate solutions.

Regards,
Michael Corsini (Ext. 148)
Quality Assurance

[mgbreis]

I should have scrapped the cast iron one, but after a week of messing with it I didn't want to wait 2 days for a new part. I'm driving it now and the next time it needs a pump I think I'll put in an LS water pump. Attached to an LS engine.