I'm sort of new to the small block Ford part of hot rodding and I'm trying to educate myself with any new info I can absorb. The subject of reverse flow 302 Ford water pumps came up this morning at breakfast. I asked if there was an easy quick way to identify a reverse flow pump by eye. One of what I would consider a Ford guy's was saying that all of the later 302 blocks w no provision for a mechanical fuel pumps (EFI)and a wide serpentine belt and a cover where the mechanical fan would have been install will have reverse flow water pumps. No one at the table could confirm or deny the statement. Can you tell me if this info is correct? R
Any motor with a factory serpentine belt will be reverse rotation. Ford doesn't use reverse flow.... With pieces missing or the pump off the motor, the other way to tell is the pulley/fan bolt pattern. The reverse rotation pumps use a larger bolt pattern, a stock-pattern standard rotation fan won't fit. The measurement for a standard rotation is a 1.8" bolt circle, the reverse is 2.1". There's been multiple pump housing configurations (from both Ford and the aftermarket) over the years so I won't even try to describe those, but a passenger-side inlet will be standard rotation, drivers side could be either. There's also several timing covers. The '62-65 cover uses a different water pump from the others, it's a passenger-side inlet only. These were popular as it used an aluminum pump, but the pump and cover can both be a bit hard to get these days. The '66 through ? was used on all with fuel pumps into the '80s, most factory pumps were cast iron although aluminum replacements are now commonly available. These were available with inlets on either side, depending on the application. The cover is being reproduced. Then there's the EFI timing covers, with no provision for a fuel pump or a front sump dipstick. I've seen at least two versions of these, there may be more. These are all drivers side inlets and serpentine belts to the best of my knowledge. Ford also moved the timing pointer around; while most early covers have them cast-in, that may or may not be correct for your combination, so it pays to check. I'll note that Ford is also notorious for having multiple V-belt pulley/bracket sets for small blocks, so mixing pieces isn't something you want to try. If using V-belts, try very hard to get a complete set from a single donor. It sounds more complicated than it really is, but you can't just use random parts...
I learned (the hard way) some of the water pump snouts are longer than others about and inch or little more. Need to watch that when radiator clearance is close. 6sally6
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