4.6 will not heat up??

My friend is working on a Ford pickup with a 4.6L V8. Sorry I did not ask
the year. It came to him with a leaky radiator, he replaced it. They brought
it back complaining that the heater did not blow hot air. He figured they
may have let it got hot and the thermostat failed. So he replaced it. Still
no heat. So he started looking at things, the engine does not heat up. He
replaced the thermostat with a genuine Ford part, no change. For no good
reason he pulled the water pump. The impeller is thin stamped steel and it
was a tad rusty and had a few bent wings. He replaced it. Still no heat in
the engine. Made a cardboard panel to completely block the radiator, no
heat. Removed the fan belt. Took about 45 minutes to warm up. He removed the
upper hose, ran the engine with the belt off and on, no water flow. So where
is the heat? You can hold the upper hose and the heater hoses and they feel
about 110 degrees. I'm sure we're missing something simple... Or are we???

Al