Well, you wanna let me finish first? :-)

I just got back in from my test drive. It's not *supposed* to take 5.5 hours, is it?

What I used to get the gasket off is the tool I recommend: the sort of ratcheting single-edge razor blade handle you use for scraping paint and wallpaper. Walmart had a nice rubber-skinned one, excellent in this weather, for a little under $3. You *don't* want to screw that facing up much if you can avoid it, and staying across the flats with that single edge blade's the easiest way.

Tightened the bolts, filled it up per the manual, with 50/50 (which is good, cause the over night lows are in the 30s this week. Wonder how many blocks are gonna crack from people running straight water here in sunny Florida this month...

Started it up, no wobbles, no leaks, belt running true.

Installed pully shield and shroud -- that shroud is supposed to have *four* dzus screws, two up top front, and two back down where the top cover screws to the rest of the shroud -- and I'll bet you don't have four. (I only have one.) Clipped the radiator hose back in, and warmed it up, test drove it 3 miles; oodles of heat, and no leaks I can see -- even up top the radiator, where I've thought I had one.

I did not do a complete drain and flush, cause I'm going to be replacing the radiator and hoses in 2 or 3 weeks, and getting to the engine drain plugs without stands is an aluminium son of a bitch.

Filled up with compatible green coolant, and off I go.

To bed, that is. G'night. :-)

(Oh, and that extra gasket I bought from Trevor turned out to be much better looking -- and better cut -- than the one that came with the Allmakes pump; I used the green one -- I did have to trim the internal points a bit, though, as they stuck out past the metal on both the pump and block sides.

 

Folo: and at 177k, not a drop further trouble with the pump, thermo, fan, etc.