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I bought a rebuilt water pump some time ago and had it at my shop for months without unpacking and looking at it, then brought it back home in my checked luggage and found that the builder had used a plastic impeller and somewhere along the line it had gotten broken. I would like to put on the cast impeller from the core and have a 10 ton press but is there anything special that needs to be considered, such as spacing (how far to press it on) and, more importantly, what to use under it in order to press it off?

Rebuild with broken impeller blade

One of our primary parts suppliers lists what they say are NOS pigtails for the 1956 senior parking lights and, while I’m not sure what my Clipper has, I know that senior 1955 and 1956 Packards did not have removable sockets (they were crimped in place) and they used a bellows-type rubber seal where the wires go in. I suspect that the seller actually has NORS as his ignition tumblers, which he lists as NOS, are also NORS.

The type the seller has as NOS



Stock 1955 and 1956 type with a bellows-style crimped-in boot

About a 32nd from body. .

Close as possible without it hitting pump body

I'm about 25 thousand on mine

Thank you, Riki! What do I need for my press to support the impeller while pressing the shaft from it or do I press the shaft through the pump bearing, then put it back in place with the new impeller? I’ve worked on about every aspect of cars but never before a water pump!

I can't help with any suggestions because I have not done it either but take care where the body is supported. It would be great if someone had a photo or detailed description of placement. IIRC, Cli55er and I think another person wound up with broken pump castings because of improper placement in the way something was or was not supported when they were changing something and had to press the shaft out. Cli55er mentions his difficulty in his 55 Custom blog but don't remember if he had any photos.

Thank you, Howard. It seems I need to press it out from the other side so that I’m left with the impeller attached to the shaft, then press it off that way.

As I recall one time I got one disassembled except I was not able to get the pulley mounting flange off the shaft. I just removed the retaining clip (sometimes missing on rebuilt units to begin with) then pressed directly on the shaft to which the impeller is mounted, which will get the bearing assembly to budge and take up the gap between the impeller and housing. Then continue to press and get the impeller off the shaft and bearing out of the housing. I supported it simply by the front (as mounted in the engine) part of the casting face down. Definitely don’t do anything with the mounting tabs, they probably won’t survive.

EXCEPT a plastic impeller will just shatter when pressed on at all, the NOS type are really quite brittle and useless now; you need a reproduction metal type.

Take a measurement, from body to fan mount. So that gets back right.

Press off fan mount. I use big a pipe, the pump fits inside.
Then use bars under fan mount, press on shaft.

Then I have another big pipe, that fits on pump. Flange.

Then I press out bearing.

The impeller.. pita. But, forget what i use, under impeller to press off.
But, it needs to under the center of impeller


The plastic should come right off.. the cast, are on there pretty tight.




Pump shaft is 5/8.

The only picture I have on my blog, is piece I made to hold shaft , while I pressed on fan mount...

Thank you, both! That gives me good ammunition with which to work.

In the meantime, here is a shot from my off-grid security camera of one small corner of the shop with the Clipper in the foreground. The plan was for this side of the shop to have only one car at a time (or one car and a parts car) but the plan didn’t quite work out that way as there are four cars in it currently with the other 1954 Patrician not in this view. I’m planning on adding a couple more cameras when I go up next.