Well I finally got the time this evening to get back to this water pump install. On the stripped out bad hole I drilled it out with a 25/64 bit and then used the helicoil tap. Installed the helicoil with some Loctite Blue then broke out its installation tang with a small screwdriver. I then cleaned up the loose metal filings with a magnet. Installed the water pump with a new cardboard gasket with Permatex gasket sealer. Everything lined up and snugged up fine. I should now be good for another 25 years on this water pump....
I am going to keep my fingers crossed on my re-soldered radiator that kicked off this project. Hopefully this will also be good on this car for another 25 years. Bought this radiator brand new in 1989 for $250.. It was a good radiator right up until it started to shake all of the hood rod and mounting brackets off from driving the rough Illinois roads back from French Lick. It was then leaking from the top tank. Hopefully now all of these issues are now fixed. Thank you all again for your suggestions and comments. It is appreciated!!! Sometimes I just need a sanity check on my work plans for the Model A's...
