Hot on the heels of its NASCAR performance inspired Dodge and GM Pro Series Water Pumps, EMP Stewart is introducing a new Ford Pro Series Water Pump to be used in NASCAR competition this season.

Designed in conjunction with Roush/Yates Racing Engines, the premiere Blue Oval motor builder in NASCAR, the pump will also have applications to other forms of racing and high performance motoring.

“The new Ford Pro Series Water Pump was designed for NASCAR competition, but could be upfitted for drag racing or other high performance and street applications,” stated Nick Pipkorn, EMP Stewart Components lead engineer on the project. “We designed the Ford Pro Series Water Pump to fit the Yates belt drive system, but you can install this pump on any small block Windsor V-8 engine with the use of spacers and the factory timing cover.”

Like all EMP Stewart Components high performance products, the Ford Pro Series Water Pump was born out of a time consuming overall cooling system analysis.

“This pump didn’t happen overnight,” said Pipkorn. “We actually started working on this with the Roush/Yates people in 2002 when they sent us a test engine, two water pump configurations and three radiators. Initially, they sent us the stuff to do a systems analysis. They wanted us to find a baseline and let them know where they were at.”

Extensive testing of the Roush/Yates components at EMP’s 38,000 square foot advanced research and development technology center in Escanaba, MI revealed the performance parameters of the parts as well as how to improve them. With a computer full of data, Pipkorn and the EMP Stewart design team set out to build a better pump based on Roush/Yates NASCAR dedicated engine and competition demands.

Keeping the design time to a minimum was also a key element of the program. There, EMP Stewart was able to speed up the process through some space-age design and manufacturing techniques.

“We have a big advantage in what we call the Rapid Development Process,” said Pipkorn. “We can quickly go through the iterations of the process before we build the pump in PRO-E, which is our 3-D computer modeling software. From there, it goes to our DTM rapid prototype machine (left) where we can make a plastic model of the part.

“The DTM machine is a Selective Laser Sintering unit that raises up 4/1000 of an inch of powdered material and melts it into shape with a laser,” continued Pipkorn. “You build it up layer by layer to get a three-dimensional, testable, finished plastic part in roughly 24 hours. We have actually done dyno testing on our NASCAR DTM pumps and ran all the tests we wanted to without any problems. Essentially, that allows us to cut the prototype process down from six weeks to two days. With this kind of process, if we have an iteration that doesn’t go quite right, we can react fast, correct it, and be testing a new part within a week.”

Backed by extensive test data, advanced manufacturing techniques and the full cooperation of the Yates engine shop in Mooresville, NC (left), Pipkorn and the EMP Stewart engineers were able to come up with the new Ford Pro Series Water Pump.

“We utilized an improved cartridge and impeller system we’ve incorporated in our other EMP Stewart Pro Series pumps and totally redesigned the housing to match up with the Roush/Yates packaging systems,” said Pipkorn. “We produced several different DTM versions for our testing purposes and sent them one to make sure we had the right upfit dimensions. They were able to mount up a DTM version to an engine and check for all the fit and clearance dimensions. That allowed us to have everything right on before we went to cast the pump. Having the DTM capabilities we have really saves a lot of headaches.”

In the end, the finished EMP Stewart Components Ford Pro Series Water Pump provided some significant gains over the previous system.

Currently, the pump is in the final stages of dyno testing at the Yates engine complex in North Carolina. Roush/Yates, which supplies engines to many of the top teams and drivers in NASCAR Nextel Cup including Dale Jarrett, Elliott Sadler (right), Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch just to name a few, is expected to debut the EMP Stewart Components Ford Pro Series Water Pump later this season.

“The association with the Roush/Yates organization is a very strong endorsement of our research capabilities and the products we produce here,” stated Jeff Canull, General Manager of EMP Stewart Components. “We’ve always been proud of our performance heritage and the ability of our engineering staff to come up with cutting edge cooling component designs and products. We broke into NASCAR Nextel Cup four years ago with the Dodge Pro Series Pump on the Penske and Petty cars and our new GM Pro Series Pump is getting some good play in the NASCAR Busch and Truck Series garages this season. Our products are also finding their way into more local racecars, drag cars, hot rods and performance engines than ever before. These are very exciting times for EMP Stewart Components.”

For more information about Robert Yates Racing, please log on to www.robertyatesracing.com.

ABOUT EMP STEWART COMPONENTS

EMP Stewart Components is an industry leader in high performance automotive cooling system research and development. For the past 20 years, EMP Stewart water pumps have been a leading choice for professional engine builders, race teams and performance enthusiasts, from street rodding and OEM replacements, to the most extreme forms of motorsports in the world. Pump design and development is EMP Stewart Components core competency. Their product engineering team is on the “cutting edge” of advanced pump technology, research development and production. EMP Stewart Components is housed in the EMP world corporate headquarters in Escanaba, MI.