Dry sump mandrel will not allow. Can't use cam driven cause I have a front mount distributor.

Which merc sea pump do you want to run backwards .The older plastic housing pump ..or newer bronze housing. The plastic housing pumps are made to run either direction ,just swapping the inlet and outlet hose depending on rotation .

Seeing as I already have a plastic merc, brass merc and a dual stage KPM pump. I think I'm gonna go with a single stage Keith Eickert stainless pump...

Most crank mounted sea water pumps are RPM limited before they start to cavitate. Volvo Penta has forever used crank mounted sea water pumps until their LS 6.0 engine - they spin that motor at 6000 rpms and had to change their crank mounted pump to a big pulley and belt driven pump located on the front port side of the engine.

Do you have a picture of your setup Black Baja? Just wondering if you could space the pump away from the engine enough to clear your pan easier than flipping it around, or drop it under the pan?

I've run them backwards on a reverse rotation motor. As long as the pulley spins it will pump.

Sorry Randy as of right now the pieces to the motor are in three different States. It's really not a big deal to flip the pump and it will make it much easier running the water to the coolers and back into the motor. I have lots of room in front of the motor I can literally sit down in the Bildge in front of the motor so that's not of any concern. If I get some spare time in the next few weeks I'll mock it up on a spare block and post some pics.

What about moving it to the other side of the engine. I've done that before in some twin engine cats where the engine was really close to the tunnel.
Eddie

Idea went through my head. Then what do I do with the dry sump pump? I was thinking drive the oil pump off the Jesel belt because they make a drive but I don't think I could run the front mount distributor... I don't know ill try to call Jesel and maybe re-visit that idea.

Sorry, didn't realize it was dry sump.
Hardin has a dry sump pump mount to go on the other side. I've used it before as well. I think it was originally done for 36 Nortech cats. That's what I used it on. One engine had the water pump and dry sump pump where they normally go, and the other engine had them the reverse of that so that the water pump was away from the tunnel and on the outsides of the boat.