That chinese version is a great example of how NOT to cast an intake, on many levels.
On the other hand, it is a pretty chunk of scrap cast aluminum.........

I do like the look of the "Blasted Aluminum" powder. I bet it will be a lot more stain resistant than the real thing.......

 

I updated yesterday's post with a sharper pic of all three manifolds, but here it is so's you don't need to turn back a page - from the left it is Eddy, Chinese Weiand, and American Weiand. And, you can see the heat crossover that Jim was talking about. Wow, that would cook things!



RW - What all do you see wrong with the Chinese casting?

And, I agree it's a pretty wall-hanging. Don't know why they'll want it back as it'll cost them more to machine it to fit than they sell it for. And, since it really is a different manifold than the US one then I don't want one of them until Tim dyno's one and declares it a winner - like he did with the original.

On the other hand, it sure isn't going to sell many manifolds for them hanging on my wall. May have to move the decal from the toilet to a new home. (I know, I know, Demon Carbs is owned by Holley. But, I'm hoping that the plan is to get it going well with US-made parts before moving production elsewhere - if they do.)

 

Got started on rebuilding the Saginaw pump today. The first job was to press out the old bushing. The bore the bushing is in measures .875" and it turns out that my Craftsman 18mm deep socket is .865" in diameter - perfect for pressing the bushing out. Then I pressed the new bushing in, cleaned the shaft a bit, and tested the fit - perfect.

Then it was time to media blast the front of the pump housing prior to powder coating it. I used aluminum duct tape to cover the back of the pump body then reinstalled the reservoir to the pump. And I plugged the shaft opening on the front. That let me media blast both parts w/o ruining delicate surfaces of the pump or the bushing.

Here's the pump body after powder coating:





And, here's the reservoir followed by the pulley:








Next I have the bolts, fittings, and bracket to PC. At that point I can put it together and tuck it away for later.

 

Is it just me or does the Chinese casting have a different angle on where it meets the heads? Also that crossover can be eliminated with a small piece of sheet metal and some copper RTV. We do it all the time in the race car.

 

Those are looking awesome. Happy to see that something is going together the way it should.

 

Jeremy - Thanks!

I think the angle issue is an optical illusion as the intake appears to sit on the engine properly.

 

I got the Saginaw power steering pump together today. I used this thread in FSB as a guide as well as the instructions that came with the Gates 350390 kit. However, I learned some things that either aren't in either of those places or are but weren't easily seen by me. And, I put plenty of pics with captions in my album entitled Saginaw Power Steering Pump.

The first thing I ran into was the orientation of the vanes, which have a rounded edge and a square edge. The FSB thread doesn't mention it, but if you look closely the instructions say the rounded edge goes toward the cam ring, as shown here:





Another thing that isn't in the FSB thread but is in the instructions is the orientation of the cam ring. As shown below there is an arrow cast into it. The instructions say "Install rotor ring with arrow towards rear of pump body and pointing in direction of pump rotation." Note that the instructions call the part the "cam ring" on one side of the single sheet of paper and "rotor ring" on the other.





I had a bit of trouble installing the end cover, aka pressure plate. I tried both in my shop press and with a large C-clamp to press the cover in far enough to get the retaining ring in, but it just wouldn't go far enough. The problem turned out to be that the shaft wasn't fully into the body, although I was sure the pressure from the press or C-clamp would have been enough to seat it. However, when I put a large deep-socket under the nose, as shown below, and put the pressure on the body of the pump the cover went all the way down very easily.




Also, both FSB and the instructions tell you to clamp the body in a vice, but if you've gone to the trouble of powder coating it that isn't too much fun. So I put a socket-head cap screw in the end of the shaft and put that through the center of a slab of aluminum that was laying around. But, you could also just clamp the bolt in a vise.




Something else that isn't said is that there's a screen or filter in the end of flow control valve. Here's a pic of it, but the pic makes it look big as the thing is only about a 1/4" in diameter so the mesh is very small. I think it is important that the screen be cleaned before reassembling things.




Here's a shot of the hole in the reservoir where the one bolt goes through and into the pump body. Note that it is dented in, which might not let the reservoir go fully forward when you put it on. So I flattened that point much as you would with a steel valve cover.




So, how did it turn out. You tell me - what did I miss? I see it.

 

Rusty area where the pulley removal tool goes?

Did i win?

 

My guess too! But overall it looks really nice.

Is that a protective plug you have on the high pressure outlet on the back? I don't remember one looking like that.

 

Yes, if you mean the nose of the shaft. The pulley removal tool actually goes around the outside of the hub in the slot. And the installer screws into the nose, which I forgot to paint. But, I'll do that now and then bag and box this rascal and move on to the next item - the alternator.

 

That is a vinyl cap shoved in backwards to keep junk out of the pump. The line that came with the pump makes it hard to bag if it is installed.

 

It looks really good. Hard to believe that was a grungy old part in the junkyard from the south.

Great job gary.

 

Kyle - Thanks to you.

Ok guys, is this better? I cleaned and painted the end as well as put a small vinyl plug in to keep gunk out.

 

Looks a lot better.

If all these parts from soggy bottom Louisiana and Florida keep finding their way up to podunk, I may have to send you the cajun special emblems from my 83 f150.

Better yet, maybe you can make some podunk special emblems.

 

Would they be a toothy grin - less a few teeth? Or Red Neck Special?