I am trying to figure out what to do for a water pump on my 95 TA. I am working getting the parts together for a heads and cam swap. There aren't many options out there for the LT1 timing chain. I could get a stock timing chain setup, but I don't know how well that's going to hold up. There is an LT4 Extreme Duty set from GM Performance Parts, but the cheapest I have been able to find is $199. The aftermarket ones are even worse. Comp quotes something like $600 (!!!) for theirs.

I am leaning towards putting a regular 87+ SBC chain in there. I can get a really good Cloyes dual roller setup for only about $80. It’s supposed to fit. That, plus an electric water pump comes out to more than $100 less. the electric WP is supposed to be good for about 10 hp.

Has anyone done this swap? Does the Cloyes really fit without grinding? This is a daily driver, so I don’t want to have reliability problems with the water pump. How reliable are these things?

Am I overreacting? Would the stock timing chain be OK with a 230/236-112 cam and a 6300 RPM redline?

Prices:
(from Sam Taylor Buick)
WP - $135.00
LT4 ED timing chain - $199.00
Total - $334.00

(from Summit)
Cloyes dual roller timing chain for 87+ SBC - $80.00
CSI electric water pump - $140.00
Total - $220.00

Thanks,

BRAD

 

I just installed a new cam and added the ED timing set. It is indeed expensive, but it seems stout enough for most street performance vehicles. IMHO, I'd forget the electric WP idea.

 

I went with the stock chain and several engine builders told me they thought I wouldn't have any problem with it.


I did also replace the top gear as recommended by some engine builders that I know. Although, my old gear looked perfect and I think I could have used it.

 

I went with the Cloyes double roller chain when I replaced my opti and water pump. I switched to the '95+ style vented opti, which required using the '95+ timing cover. The inside of the cover has a "dome" that is about the same diameter of the top gear of the timing set. It's not really a dome, but a raised surface that's maybe a couple of millimeters or so higher than the rest of the inside of the cover. You'll need to flatten the edges of that raised area a bit to ensure that the chain doesn't rub against the cover.

It's harder to explain than it is to do...if you go with the double roller, lay the big gear on the inside of the timing cover and flatten out the area where the chain will be when it's around the gear. You'll see what I mean when you look at it.

 

If it's your daily driver I wouldn't go with the electric wp. I used the Cloyes double roller and the CSI when I did the cam but I don't drive the car daily much anymore. I'm sure some people do drive daiy with an electric wp, it's just a little more of a gamble if they go out and leave you stranded. Your best bet if you want to do something stronger than the stock chain is the LT4 ED.

 

Thanks for the replies. When I said daily driver, I mean that it has to be reasonably streetable. I only live about 1 mile from work, so I walk most times. There are days during the week that I don't even drive the car. I only put about 6-8,000 miles on it last year, mostly around town, but with a good amount of highway driving.

Is this electric WP territory, or would I still be better off with a mechanical?

BRAD

 

I went with the electric water pump and I put 50 miles on my car per day going to work and whatnot. I figure the pump should last about 2 years or so before it needs to be replaced, so that's not that big of a deal.

 

I just put in the XE230/236 and I had the cloyes and csi ready to go in too, but at the last minute I decided to use the GM Extreme Duty and keep the mechanical wp. I read one too many stories of electric pumps stopping and temps going into the red, and even resulting in warped heads.

I had seen waring light circuits for blown fuse and bad ground, but not a burnt pump motor. Also I realized that the elec wp is good for about 10hp ... at 6000rpm ... which my car sees maybe once a week ... where I'm making like 470 hp already, so it's not worth it.

Here's a picture comparing three timing sets: stock, cloyes, and GM extreme duty.