New Melling water pump install -fan clutch question

[HotWheelsBurban]

That's a great tip --unfortunately I already mounted it before seeing it --and could not get a wrench on the now hard to reach bolts. The good news is that I pressure checked for leaks and it looks good, no leaking and held the pressure. The Melling coolant pump (assembled in USA) says that they leak test every unit so I was also putting trust in the good brand name.

With the original fan clutch mounted back on --I wasn't getting much play at all. Maybe 1/8 inch rather than the original 1/4 estimated play. I'm going to give drive it 20ish miles and check it again. If good, I'll check it again after 100ish miles (week) before deciding to replace or not (also keep an eye on the coolant level)

My family used to have an auto parts store, and we also had many 305/350 powered vehicles. So I've had hands on a bunch of the water pumps. And every once in awhile we'd see one with loose back plate bolts. So I got in the habit of checking them before sale or installation. I couldn't tell you what the torque spec for them is, but they're not big bolts so shouldn't be much.