those "flow kooler" water pumps are the ones with the "circular" vanes about 1/4" or so high, on a cast circle base ?
i always like to overdrive the pump some, but is there such a thing as being overdriven too much ? there are only so many pulleys to choose from.
The thermostat serves another purpose, and that is to regulate the flow rate. Removing it will cause overheating but can help compensate for a crudded up radiator. Pushing the coolant through a good radiator too fast can also cause O/ heating as the coolant may not have enough time to exchange the heat. So I would say yes. remeber you are dealing with several variables. Flow rate, pressure driving the flow, pressure in the system, size of the radiator, air flow through the core, Ambient temps, BTU's being generated, and the the infamous core debate itself. Probably a few others as well but that's a kwik list
