Electric Water Pumps

[George Graves <gmgraves@domain.elided>]

Has anyone here ever tried replacing a bad Alfa water pump with one of 
the racing-style electric ones? I've never actually seen one of these 
beasties, but they have been described to me as cylindrical devices 
which go in-line by replacing a section of radiator hose with the unit 
(apparently it has radiator hose fittings on each end) and connecting it 
with ignition-switched 12 volts. I've heard that one can take an old 
water pump and remove the shaft and impeller, and then just get the 
shaft opening welded shut so that it doesn't leak. Replace the current 
water pump with the dummy unit and that should be the last time that one 
has to do that. It's probably expensive to buy one of these electric 
pumps, but so is replacing water pumps in Italian cars every 20K miles 
or so. I know that Alfas and many Ferraris would benefit from such a 
substitution in the long run.
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