I decided to go with the full Ford unit with the "back" piece and hoses because of what I've heard about the cone/housing wearing out.
Everything went pretty much according to plan. Thanks to the kind folks who have posted the How-To and messages in the forum, I knew to remove the battery and termostat housing hose. The bolts (3 in this case since I was replacing the whole thing) were easy to get to with that stuff removed.
The problem was getting the hose clamps off. With such a limited space for pliers, it was VERY difficult to get any leverage on the clamps, let alone move them. But eventually they cooperated after I got smart and used my vise-grips. The hoses gave me a little difficulty coming off (particularly the bottom one), but they got the hint eventually too.
Turning the pulley by hand, the new one turns a bit more stiffly than the old one. I figure that's because it's brand new and hasn't gotten wet yet. Looking inside (through the hose fitting), I could see the impeller is the white one.
Installing the new one was a piece of cake except for those $(&*# hose clamps. I know Ford makes a special tool for the clamps, which I highly recommend after this escapade.
Threw in a new thermostat and o-ring since I was messing around in that area. Old one looked fine and I had no reason to suspect it wasn't working. All the hoses looked fine, but I did use one of the new ones that came with the pump (the short one) because it was easier to leave the old hose attached to the old pump. Threw on a new belt, too - the old one was a bit cracked.
Was going to take apart the old pump, but I had already spent enough time screwing around with it and lost interest. It was working fine, But I don't know what kind of shape the cone was in. Kind of regret not checking now.
Started her up, let her warm up, no problems yet (knock on wood). Going out tonight, so that'll be the acid test. Then the engine compartment gets a cleaning tomorrow.
Lemme know if you have any Q's.
Thanks to those who have posted info about this.
