OK, After last fiasco with wifes SSEi everything seemed to be going well. (Should have known that was trouble)
About a month or so ago it started making this noise best described as bb'* in a beer can. Also spit the accessory belt right off. Replaced the belt and did it again. Consensus had the power steering pump as the bad guy. Changed it. Everything seemed fine again until last night. Spit the belt, same noise. Now here is a new wrinkle. There was a major puddle of coolant under the car day before the spitting, morning of the spitting couple drops. Water pump replaced last fall.
Is it possible that the real culprit here is the belt tensioner? Alt is turning fine and when last checked with the mechanics hearing aid (screwdriver to the ear) bearing quiet as church mouse.
I'm stumped. Help!!
BTW the SHO is completely reassembled and running better than ever. Wish the SSEi were:{

Larry Eck
Webmaster, www.v8sho.com

It sure sounds like the water pump to me. Have you turned it by hand? Does the tensioner have smooth motion through its range of travel?

No, I'll be doing that this evening. Isn't the water pump on the same belt as the supercharger? If so then I have now two problems. 1) Whats causing the spitting of the accessory belt, 2) confirm condition of water pump.
BTW like your sig.
FIL as 3 of them up on the farm, newest is a 53 70, also has '43D, and IIRC at 37 A

whoops i forgot the power steering and water pumps were on different belts on those faster bonnies... The leak may be unrelated. At least on the N/A engines, there is a plastic elbow on that side of the engine that likes to crack and dump lots of water.
A real gearhead will be here to help you shortly.

glad to see someone around here that likes johnny poppers

What year? Where did the new water pump come from? Cheap Autozone pumps kinda have a bad rep. I've done three 3800 water pumps recently, making rattly noises. The best indication is a pulley that feels catchey when you turn it.

Well, it turns out that my BIL stripped the bolt that the Alt mounts to on the forward side of the engine. Had to heillicoil it.
So far all has been fine.
Thanks for everyone'* input.

how did that heilicoil turn out? does it seem like a sturdy fix? i've never got to use one before...