mailing water pumps for rebuilding

46fatford

46fatford

Senior Member
I'm getting ready to ship my water pumps down to Skip Haney. Is there a certain way that you are supposed to package them? They are 50 Mercury water pumps. Also one has been chromed. can I just scuff the chrome and paint over it? Or will I need to have it blasted first? I'm going to paint them Mercury green from Bill Hirsch.
Thanks
Matt
 
Skip cleans the pumps and refinishes them with paint that looks like cast iron finish. I think your best move would be to include a detailed note when you mail your pumps explaining what you want him to do re: finished or unfinished appearance as you may want to paint them a different color. Also, give him a call. He supplies new gaskets and does a great job.
 

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Last time I shipped something like the pumps I wrapped them in bubble wrap and put them in a medium Priority mail box then put that box inside a large Priority box with all the voids filled with shipping peanuts. Got there in good shape.
 
Krylon32 said:
Last time I shipped something like the pumps I wrapped them in bubble wrap and put them in a medium Priority mail box then put that box inside a large Priority box with all the voids filled with shipping peanuts. Got there in good shape.
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Good advice indeed.
 
Krylon32 said:
Last time I shipped something like the pumps I wrapped them in bubble wrap and put them in a medium Priority mail box then put that box inside a large Priority box with all the voids filled with shipping peanuts. Got there in good shape.
Click to expand...

Good advice. I had a set of very nice '51 Mercury pumps that I sold to a guy in Germany. I packed them pretty well (or so I thought), and yet they arrived over there with a broken pulley. I had sent them USPS, and as much as I like the US Postal Service, they will NOT help you with Foreign shipments.

Lucky for us, it was just the pulley that was broken, so the recipient was able to get a Ford pulley that fit just fine and he was able to proceed with his project.

I seems that the shippers are currently able to break parts, even those made of cast iron!:rolleyes:
 
Let's get the terminology correct, Tubman
There are shippers, carriers, and consignees.
Shippers don't as a rule break their own shipments, sometimes carriers do.
Pete
 
You know, I have been accused of being "overly pedantic" myself sometimes, so I understand your comment. I really do try to stay away from it on these forums, which are usually rather informal.

Thanks for the correction, though.:confused:
 
When Skip returned the Merc pumps he rebuilt for me they came USPS in a medium flat rate box IIRC correctly but it might have been a large flat rate box. Why don't you contact him and see how he ships the return pumps? I do know that I sold a set of 8ba pumps and mailed them in a medium flat rate box and something/one poked a hole in the box and damaged one of the pulleys. I returned the guys money and the USPS paid my claim. I got full reimbursement and the buyer got one good pump and one needing a new pulley for free.
 
The Mercury pumps are physically pretty big and would be a tight squeeze in the USPS Medium Flat Rate carton. There’s no good room for protective padding. At the very least, try the Large flat rate carton and put as much padding around the pumps as possible. If any part of either pump is tight up against the side of the carton, you risk damage from the box being dropped. The Mercury pumps are getting harder to find for cores.
 
I sent my v12 pumps to skip for rebuild he said to pack the pumps so that the pulleys are protected well cause they are hard to find, so I cut two sections of PVC pipe to cover the pulleys and wrapped them tight. If they can move in the box there is a good chance they could get damaged. He does an outstanding job on his rebuilds, well worth the money.
 
One piece of advice I'd offer, think ahead with the sturdiness of your package. When I send some coils a couple of years ago they were returned in the package I sent. All turned out well, but I was happy I did some serious padding and reinforcements.

I had cut pieces of cardboard to line the floor and top and all sides. I also used a bit of the idea you see in a case of wine bottles.
 
I also shipped water pumps to Skip. Thought I had packed them will with "peanuts" packing. Well, Skip contacted me informing that one of the pulleys was broken. Said the best way to pack water pumps for shipping was to use newspaper and pack it tightly eliminating any spaces. I learned my lesson on this one.
 
Yeah, styrofoam peanuts are mostly only good for shipping more foam peanuts. They always allow heavy pieces to shift around in the carton. Plus they’re a mess to deal with upon opening up the shipment.
 
I like to secure heavy items to a piece of 1/4" plywood cut to fit the inner box. This keeps things from banging around on each other. I also use pink foam insulation around the outside of the inner box as its pretty strong and makes a nice cushion.
 
I thought it was a rare occurrence when the one of the pulleys on the Merc pumps I sent to Germany was broken in shipment. After going through this thread, it seems to be a regular result. I guess what they say about flathead water pump pulleys being fragile is correct; take special care packing them guys.
 
462888

These Reconditioned Water Pumps look great, however the Pulleys do look susceptible to damage if not wrapped correctly.
It is better to over wrap than to economise.
 
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