I got the short v-belt version pump on my 351W.

I stopped saturday, and my engine was in excess of 230 degrees. What was left of the coolant was leaking out somewhere. When everything cooled, I put some water in it, and discovered the leak was coming from behind the pump. So, I took the pump off and discovered a good amount of rust trapped in that void between the pump plate and the timing chain cover. Then, I noticed that the steel plate was warped, and you could tell it had been hot.

I took the plate off the pump, and there is this dime-sized nipple welded to the plate and it had been wearing against the end of the impeller shaft causing a lot of friction and heat...and thereby causing a leak.

I can't believe I didn't notice this when I assmebled the engine. Are the two designed to contact with each other? What's the deal with that? That seems like the poorest design ever.