serpentine system question

[king-918]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

In addition to the water pump, add in the price of a new a/c comp, alt, power steering pump, fan clutch + fan, tensioner, & belt (unless you have all that stuff conveniently lying around). I would imagine that's some of the cost difference.

You're right. I started with just a motor so I never thought about it

[Greenlee]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

I re-used the factory one that was there for my bbc. I would just make sure there's enough clearance @ the fan & alt blades.
If there's alot of wiggle room, I wouldn't worry. If it's tight.... I would do some sort of anchor/brace to keep the hose from shifting.

Thanks Scoti. I don't remember there being any kind factory brace on my parts Suburban, but I will be on the lookout for one now that I'm aware it's supposed to have it.

[355bullet]

Thanks guys! looks like I'm hitting up the junk yards soon!

[notallthere]

So some things that I have learned about these swaps are:

Shoot for the 94-96 ones as there are fewer parts then the previous year ones.
There is a brace from the back of the power steering pump to the manifold. Grab it.
The power steering pump will not bolt into the older trucks lines but the pulley will go right on.
There is an electrical adapter to run the new style alternator and Summit has the best pricing.
The nice thing is that the electronics in your truck will run smoother with the newer style alternator.

[Rich84]

Maybe a dumb question..But, what is the advantage of having a serpentine set up?

[notallthere]

Advantages

One belt that does not need adjusting.
Less HP to run accessories --rumour as far as I know no testing
Stronger alternator 94 amp I think
reverse rotation cooling is apparently more efficient

[Jonboy]

Something else to think about, but you don't have to adjust each accessory individually. Bolt it up, and it should keep alignment. The tensioner takes care of the adjustment of the belt.

[Rich84]

But if that one belt breaks you got nothing..

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by Rich84

But if that one belt breaks you got nothing..

Ever lost a v-belt for the alt/water pump on the road? I've never ran around w/o an extra.
Same deal on the serp. belt. Keep a spare....

[Tx Firefighter]

Preventative maintenance and underhood inspection will pretty much keep breaking belts from happening.

Serp systems are more efficient and keep constant tension. One of the best improvements in underhood technology in a long time. They don't have anything to do with reverse cooling. The pump works exactly the same and the coolant flows exactly the same. The only difference is the pump impeller is backwards to work when spun the opposite direction.

[Tdubbyount]

My local wrecking yard wants $195 for everything (with ac compressor, steering pump, alternator, all pulleys, brackets and what not). I was thinkin about doing the same thing.

[TwinTurbo]

Originally Posted by notallthere

reverse rotation cooling is apparently more efficient

A reverse rotation water pump is not the same as reverse cooling like on LT1 engines. The rev rot WP simply has an impeller that's cut in reverse so coolant still flows the normal way with the wp spinning reverse.

[DirtyLarry]

The serpentine topic has been beaten to death countless times over the years. Here is an informative serpentine thread that should have been a sticky instead of getting locked

[Cherub]

Originally Posted by DirtyLarry

The serpentine topic has been beaten to death countless times over the years. Here is an informative serpentine thread that should have been a sticky instead of getting locked

Thats the one i always go back to for reference.

[bark]

Nice set up, I'm doing the same, just not as pretty, what condensor you using? Mine is all LH discharge and I want to switch it to Rh to clean it up.

Thanks

Originally Posted by JWall

I have the stock setup off a early to mid 90's truck as well.
Mine is the earlier design with the metal bracket instead of the aluminum one.

And don't forget you will need a reverse rotation water pump if you convert to a later model OEM system.


Attachment 1226192

Attachment 1226193

[57NAPCO]

Dumb question...why the switch to serpentine from the stock set up ?

[DREAMER1]

Originally Posted by notallthere

So some things that I have learned about these swaps are:

Shoot for the 94-96 ones as there are fewer parts then the previous year ones.
There is a brace from the back of the power steering pump to the manifold. Grab it.
The power steering pump will not bolt into the older trucks lines but the pulley will go right on.
There is an electrical adapter to run the new style alternator and Summit has the best pricing.
The nice thing is that the electronics in your truck will run smoother with the newer style alternator.

I got the brace that goes behind the pump....but how does it go? Why do I need it?

[57NAPCO]

Forget my dumb question, it was late when I posted

[Kaptain Kadian]

I am in the process of doing this same project. I just got the entire system for $175 out of a 92 chevy truck and they removed it. Can I just get a new water pump that would fit that modal year truck and it be the correct flow? I was also wondering about what it cost to have the brackets powder coated? Thanks.

[notallthere]

Around here if time is not an issue there are two places that will do that for 50.00 cash with no receipt. They just tack it on with another job. All I have done is sandblast them (actually glass) then prime with self etching primer and paint with engine enamel.

[Kaptain Kadian]

I pulled a set off of a 92 chevy truck and I think the fan on it is 1.5 inches bigger than my 70 fan. Does anyone know if the 92 fan will fit in the 70 factory shroud? This might be a dumb question, but could I just flip my factory around since it will be spinning the other direction now? Thanks

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by Kaptain Kadian

I pulled a set off of a 92 chevy truck and I think the fan on it is 1.5 inches bigger than my 70 fan. Does anyone know if the 92 fan will fit in the 70 factory shroud? This might be a dumb question, but could I just flip my factory around since it will be spinning the other direction now? Thanks

Measure your shroud. Many times there's room for a slightly larger fan. I swapped both of the fans out on my trucks (90 model w/OE serp set-up & my 89 CC dually w/an OE serp conversion) for larger units. Both were 18" but 19" units would fit. The larger the fan, the more air it can move.