Found another trap today. Had to replace water pump which I’ve done a couple of times, so radiator out (always fun!), pulled out pump etc. and bolted new one in place. Wrestled with radiator to get back in and nearly punched a hole in alloy radiator. Bolted up alternator, filled with water, checked for leaks, fired it up and fan belt screaming it’s head off. Shut down super fast as something wrong. Checked everything and the water pump was locked solid. So radiator back out etc etc. then noticed on the ground the bloody stupid metal spacer for the fan! To be honest, I just don’t recall this from previous years. Anyway, obviously the bolts are too long without that little spacer and jammed the pump. How I didn’t notice the fan not turning, I don’t know. How I missed the spacer I don’t know, why you need that spacer, I don’t know, why they don’t make the bolts shorter I don’t know! Anyway I’m now expert at removing radiators and water pumps. I’m just bloody glad the belt slipped and didn’t crack my crankshaft.

It used to frustrate me that i would always do something 2 or 3 times before i got it right. But if you did it right the first time you haven’t learnt anything….nope, actually it still frustrates me.

I can only hope i have enough mistakes under my belt to have less in front of me. (And try to learn from others sharing theirs !)

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1966 Mini Deluxe - “Gabby” 34 years under restoration and counting...
1970 MGBGT
1959 MGA

I think most of us will have been there, maybe i got lucky but when I did it years back the pulley was in a position where the bolt hit the pump before tightening thus alerting me to the problem before I could tighten it up.

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Cheers Dave.

lying in bed last night still awake at 2am after playing through the day’s hassles, I started thinking maybe I’ve got these forums all wrong. Instead of “how to” maybe I should be looking for “how not to”. I’m going to start searches now with “how not to replace, repair ….”

Drop by "The Shed" - everybody there will have an opinion.

I glue them to the inside of the pulley with a little dob of silastic...

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

Home built by jeff on YT has T shirt saying " if it's worth doing it's worth doing twice".

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Mk 1 Cooper S 1965
If you could erase all your mistakes of the past
You would also erase the wisdom of your present
Remember the lesson not the disappointment.

Last time I replaced the water pump on my Group N Mini I bolted everything up, buttoned up the radiator, then started filling the coolant system only to discover water p155ing out of the water pump to block gasket face. Mystified, I pulled everything apart, to discover that the dowel holes in the new pump were not quite deep enough and so the water pump gasket face couldn't seal.... Easily fixed with a drill to slightly deepen the dowel holes, but incredibly frustrating. Lots of skinned knuckles and grown-up words.

Almost as bad as starting to fill it up and realising that you forgot the hose clamps for the bypass hose. I was able to unwind the hose clamps and put them on, but it was very difficult and frustrating

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But not as bad as leaving the sump plug out and start filling with oil....

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?