1960 390 leaking from water pump bolts?????

[Vetteman61]

  I tried to start my engine in the 1960 today.  It never started because I noticed water draining out.  It's coming out from the bolts on the passenger side of the water pump.  The top one where the air conditioning/alternator bracket mounts, and the one under it, which is inset a little.
   What could be causing this.  I even tried putting the tape on the bolts, and it still leaks. 
  I had the engine rebuilt by a professional and the engine hasn't run yet. 

   Thanks,
      Brandon

[Walter Youshock]

Did they put the correct bolts back in the correct holes?  I usually put a dab of silicone on the bolts about 1/2 inch from the end so it won't get into the coolant flow but will seal the threads.

It could be the gasket, too.

[Chris Conklin]

I'd be talking to that professional that did the re-build real quick. 

[ronw]

When I had the water pump rebuilt on my 59, the back plate was not sealed properly and water leaked out between the back plate and the water pump housing. It looked like it was leaking from the bolts because the water ran down the back of the pump housing and dripped off the bolts. I made a new gasket and all was well. Get a light and a mirror and have a look at the back of the pump to make sure the leak is not higher up.
HTH
Ron

[Vetteman61]

  It is actually coming out the bolt holes, however I first thought it was running underneath.  It appears that it's a gasket problem.  I've ordered new ones, so we'll see if it fixes it. 

[Walter Youshock]

Do yourself a favor--buy a sheet of gasket material so you can make your own gaskets!  You'll save a ton of time and $$$!

[Dan LeBlanc]

I used Permatex Ultra Blue silicone without any problems whatsoever in my 62.  Followed the directions exactly, however.  I applied to the pump, let it get a bit tacky, put on the pump finger tight just to ooze out the slightest amount of material, and let it sit overnight.  Torqued it to factory specs the next morning, still going according to the new owner.  I even blew the radiator last summer when I was idling in traffic with the aftermarket a/c on.  The car heated up to about 240 degrees and the rad blew as I had overfilled it.

Lesson learned - use a four row radiator and a 7 blade fan with aftermarket a/c!!!!  That's a topic for another day however.

[Brandon]

   I had already ordered the gaskets by the time I'd gotten your post.  All they had were gaskets for a '62, but according to their books it will work.  I thought a '62 390 shared the same cubic inch, but was an entirely different engine, but I suppose that was '63 instead.

   I'll hopefully be able to get back to the car monday, and hopefully this will fix my problem.  I removed the water pump and it did not appear to be cracked, which was a huge relief.