Pontiac Engine Cooling System Upgrade - Keep A Cool Head

The Pontiac was equipped with a serpentine beltdrive system that had a large water-pump pulley. This would have been fine for an engine that ran at high speeds often, but not for this street/strip combo. B&R Industries supplied the smaller 5-inch pulley ($500). A 1-inch shorter belt was required.

For the Evans system to work properly, all of the remaining moisture needs to be removed from the system. The process begins by draining the radiator and the heater core, if accessible. This can be done by removing one of the heater hoses and blowing low-pressure compressed air into the core to push out the anti-freeze. We worked with ace technician, Richard Wiegand.

For the most efficient installation, we chose to open the block drains since the IA block offered them. This required removing the starter on this application. If the block drains are not accessible, this step can be skipped.

The impeller on a stock water pump features eight small vanes.

The high-flow Evans water pump, which can also be used with conventional antifreeze or water, has 10 much-longer scroll-style blades and a heavy-duty bearing (not shown). The pump also features a bleed to eliminate any air pockets.

The next step was to remove the thermostat.

The serpentine-belt system required different procedures to remove the water pump than would be used on a standard Pontiac engine. Consult the instructions for you particular system's brand if your attempt this at home.

A typical thermostat is a poppet-design that, when fully open, provides a very small flow path for the coolant.

The Evans thermostat (offered in 160 and 180 degrees F) provides a substantially larger flow area thus increasing the coolant throughout. There is no use installing a high-flow radiator and water pump to choke the system with a poorly designed thermostat.