Project Two Face: Melling Water Pump Keeps Coolant Temp In Check

It has been a while since we’ve shared an update on Project Two Face. Our ’92 Ford Ranger has undergone many different upgrades in the last few months but we’re back in the engine bay. When the donor engine for this project was purchased, it was pretty bare. It came equipped with a few items but there wasn’t a water pump. Knowing this truck would be abused on and off the track, having a water pump we can trust is a must. Thanks to Melling Engine Parts, the old truck got just what it needs.

This little carbureted 5.3-liter V8 is going to purr like a kitten under the hood of this early 90s Ford Ranger. It seems like the S-10 gets all of the love for ls-swapped trucks. Not today!

This engine is going to be put through its paces for many years to come. This is why when the choice of running to NAPA for a replacement or going with an upgraded Melling pump was easy. After frantically peeling open the box, we were excited and impressed. We finally had one of our final pieces to this puzzle and were impressed by the fact that the packaging could’ve withstood a hurricane/earthquake combo.

In fact, the packaging is just one small part of Melling’s quality control tasks that they take great pride in. Their high-quality protective packaging ensures that customers receive parts timely and safely.

For this project, we ordered Melling’s part number MWP-503. This water pump features seven steel impellers and comes with a pulley and the required hardware and gaskets. Installing this unit with our 5.3-liter V8 engine out of the truck is as easy as can be.

The water pump looks great on the front of our engine and comes with everything necessary to install.

Highlights

  • 100-percent factory leak tested to ensure OEM dependability
  • OE-approved quality components
  • OE-quality seals: utilizing OE face materials provides exceptional heat transfer and low friction
  • OE-quality bearings: severe-duty, precision-ground and lubricated
  • Heat-treated bearing shafts to match rollers
  • High-quality, protective packaging
  • Laser-etched with Melling logo
  • 36-month / 50,000-mile warranty

If this was a completely dressed engine inside the engine bay, this would obviously be a much more involved task. Luckily for us (Are we though?), it isn’t. With the engine out, we did the best we could by preparing the block surface for the new water pump. By simply cleaning it up and getting any dirt or grime from chilling at the junkyard off, the engine was ready. Carefully placing the gasket and pump into place, we bolted everything down.

With the water pump secure, we need to start taking measurements for a radiator and mounting system. Because this little Ranger didn’t come with Chevrolet’s little 5.3, we’re having to do some maneuvering and modifying. After all, isn’t that what “LS Swapping” is all about? We also need to outfit it with a radiator and fan and then figure out what kind and how long of hoses to make all our connections complete.

Once our harmonic balancer is installed, we can start to gather measurements for our belt.

This is merely one of many pieces to this puzzle, like aforementioned. Seeing how this is going to be a test bed for many different upgrades in the future, we can’t risk using other parts. We want to be able to mimic back-to-back passes on the dragstrip collecting data for each and every upgrade.

For more information about Melling Engine Parts, be sure and check out their website here. And check back on LSX Magazine for future updates on Project Two Face as we’re approaching the final stages. We’re excited to get this truck on the track and start collecting data.

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About the author

Artie Maupin

Artie Maupin is from Southeast Missouri and has an extreme passion for anything diesel. He loves drag racing of all kinds, as well as sled pulling competitions.
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