1938 Cadillac: Water Pump Work

I don't know why I didn't make this a post last April. I, for some reason, decided to put this write-up in the description for the photo gallery. Anyway, without further delay, here it is:

The days efforts were mixed. I decided I needed to degrease before I derusted. I picked up some Zep-brand Industrial Purple from Home Depot. A guy I knew restored antique tractors and that is what he used. Personally, I was a little less than impressed. It smelled like drain opener, so it was probably lye and detergent. It required a pretty heavy ammount of scrubbing to get it almost clean. I ended up using some engine degreaser and a toothbrush to finish it off. When I was picking up the Industrial Purple, I got some Metal Prep Rust Remover, which I believe was also made by Zep. It said most rust will be removed in 30 minutes of soaking (but no more than 8 hours). While it was true that most rust was removed on the pump pulley in 30 minutes, the pump housing was another story. Both required scrubbing with a wire brush to clean off the rust from the outside. Also, I soaked them for about 3 hours. The back and inside was so pitted, I'm not sure it was even worth the effort. I can't see it getting any cleaner without an abrasive blaster, and for that I need a sizable compressor. I'm thinking I won't do anymore cast-iron stuf until I get blasting equipment. Anyway, I used Hirsch Engine enamel in a rattle can on the housing and pulley. I primered the pulley first, per the instructions for smooth metal. I definitely need some practice painting too. I got a few bubbles in the paint on the back of the pulley. I think I might end up with a few runs on the edge too because that stuff was super thin. I might have done better with a brush. Anyway, even if the paint does't come out great, I still had fun.

UPDATE: At the end, you can see the finished product. I definitely will need to sand out the bubbles on the pulley. Also, I missed a spot on the bottom of the pump neck. Unfortunately, you can't touch it up with a rattle can for 4 months. I might just have to buy a quart.