I'm slowly working on my 1974 Duster /6 4 speed race car, and I was wondering about an electric water pump drive. I have one from Summit Racing that I bought about 8 years ago and never used. It has the electric motor, pulleys, and a belt. And a bunch of bolts and a mounting plate.

I know that people use these on drag race cars because I've seen it many times. But almost EVERY one of them thinks that electric motor can both spin the water pump and a large metal flex fan with the blades bent to a very steep angle. I think that's not a smart thing to do.

I want to run an electric fan on the radiator, and an electric water pump drive that powers the water pump ONLY. I know it'll be okay for the race track, but I wonder about driving it on the street like that. Would it spin the pump fast enough? If not, maybe I can custom make some pulleys to spin the water pump faster. And use two motors if needed.

I guess I can always just have a water pump pulley on the pump along with the electric pump drive, and just switch the drive belts when I get to the track. So the engine only has to spin the alternator when racing.

Tim,
I would say "it depends". I run a electric fan and water pump drive on my Cuda. It has the heavy pitch fan on the water pump. I don't have a problem, but my motor is a 170, and very mild. Also Summit sells a larger motor pulley, to spin the water pump faster. I would recommend it, it will help get better water circulation to the back of the block and head.

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

I ran one of these on my drag car. If I remember the installation instructions correctly, they state specifically not to run them on the street. Two points.

First, while you are circulating coolant, you're not really "keeping up". The engine cools some, but it does get hotter and hotter. Making a 1/4 mile pass, I would be seeing 180 during the burn-out, then as high as 220 by the time I got back to the pits.

Second, I replaced the motor at least once a year. They're nice, but the motors are not designed for a continuous duty like you need on a street car.

All the bad stuff said, what is nice is after the engine is shut off, you can continue to cool it down.

Electric fans are a totally different issue. Lots are available, both OEM and aftermarket that are just fine for street use.

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Gilly

1960 Dodge Pioneer
"Long Rod" /6, A833 Pistol grip Hurst
8 3/4" w/Suregrip and 3:91's
Still have more parts in boxes than on the car....

BTW, I ran a flex fan off my electric pump motor. Who knows, that could have been what was killing my pump motors. The best cooling I got was from my pump-up garden sprayer. I hosed-off the radiator routinely when I got back into the pits.

Someone once told me that the Moroso electric motor is the same motor that is in your Mopar heater box fan. I wonder if that's true.

Or maybe I could use one of those heater fans motors instead. They've been proven to be well built.

The water circulation set-up for drag cars will never keep a "continious running" street engine cool.
There is a growing availability of so called "street use" electric water pumps, Monroso, Weiand, Meziere and Flowkooler all off something.
Trouble is that none of these people offer a housing for the Slant.
I bet you could get a pump motor and build one.
If there was a decent demand, I would bet that one of these companies would do one, time will tell.
Here is a link to Flowkooler:
DD
http://www.flowkooler.com

http://www.meziere.com

I think that with 1 or 2 heater fan electric motors and custom machined aluminum pulleys to increase the pump rpms we could get one to work well on the street.