Serpitine Belt Question

[Z28Owner]

I found a 93 Full size Chevy van in the junkyard with this setup on a 5.7 350. It has Air, water pump, power steering, and Alt. I am wondering if this setup will work on our older type blocks and what all should I grap? Do I need any special pullers? Being it is in a van I will more than likely be there all day but I am gettin it pretty cheap I think. Thanks for the fast replies. ALso I dont plan on running the AC so I am leaving it there, I am sure I can find a belt for just Alt, PS, and fan? Thanks.

[SCOTI]

Yes, it will fit earlier motors. As for special tools, I don't remember needing any when I pulled 'em in the past. I believe GM sold an a/c delete pulley that replaces the a/c compressor so it might be worth checking into.

[Longhorn Man]

You'll need the water pump, and you may as well take the alt and power steering pumps too...your old stuff probably won't work.
That pump will be needed not only becouse it is a long pump, but becouse it is reverse rotation.
Grab the fan and clutch, and don't forget what year the van is, makes it a bit easier when trying to find a belt.

[kwmech]

I was wondering the same thing, but my question involves the use of the long water pump and it's proximity to the radiator and the shroud. Does the motor have to be moved back?

[Longhorn Man]

The fan will be pushed into the shroud an inch or so...most likely, there won't be any problem, but it will not be as effecient as it was in it's stock location.
It'll probably be such a minimal drop in cooling that you'll never know.

[Z28Owner]

So this setup wont work unless I use the AC pulley? Can I just go to autozone and get a belt for a 93 van without AC?

[biglou55]

when i pulled the serp. setup off my 90 pickup I had to borrow a special power steering pulley puller. thier was a bolt behind the pulley that had to come off maybe your,s is different. but i couldn,t take the power steering off without the special puller.

[SCOTI]

Ok.... I seem to remember struggling w/a hidden pwr steering bolt as well that required a pulley puller (it was @ least 2yrs ago).

Also, since your upgrading & updating, just get a new water pump & re-use the pwr steering, alt, & a/c stuff from the donor vehicle. They do make an a/c delete pulley for these set-ups.

[Z28Owner]

Does anyone know for sure If I will need a puller, cause this engine is still in the van. So I will have limited access, so I prob wont mess with it if its gonna be alot of trouble.

[neonlarry]

I have pulled them before without removing the power steering pump. I am not sure how hard it is in a van, but in a caprice I could get to all of the bolts no problem. IMHO, if you arent going to be running an air conditionor, the serpentine setup may be more trouble than its worth. I dont know for sure, but I think you have to run a electric fan too, becasue the stock fan would hit the radiator.

[Russell]

If the delete pulley is cheap, I may have to go get myself a serp setup, there are tons of them at the local wrecking yard, just that I don't have AC on the truck, while all of those trucks / vans / cars do have AC on them. An electric fan is an excellent upgrade anyways, cleans up the engine bay a bunch, and is much safer for working on the engine when it is running.

Can an alternator and or power steering pulley be swapped over to a serpentine pulley without buying a new alternator or power steering pump?

[kwmech]

Have the serp setup in my 90 burb, had to use a puller first to get the p/s pump out of the back of the bracket and access the front bolts

[71'tahoe]

I've done this swap several times on some off my project trucks. The only thing i found is that you might need a puller for the power steering pump. ive haad problems with this before.The three bolts that hold the pump to the bracket are behind the pulley and can be a real pain and time consuming process.So for all it worthspeaking form experince take the power steering pulley puller with you. If you dont have one the local auto zone will loan you one for a depoist. if you have no auto zone then try some of the other parts stores in your area.Hope this helps.


71'tahoe

[doughby82]

what would one expect to pay for a complete setup

[chickenwing]

If it is not too late I recently did this same swap. It fits. It does not hit the radiator. There is 1" clearance from the fan clutch, 1 1/2" from blade, 4" from waterpump pulley. I broke my shroud trying to cram it in. If you cut on it you might can make it work. In hindsite should have cut it in half and glassed in some flanges to bolt it back together.
You will need the fan and waterpump. They are reverse rotation designs. Just keep the a/c compressor, the ac delete pulley is like 60 or 70 bucks depending on who you buy it from. Unless you get one from a cold weather state junk yard. No you can not run a belt from a vehicle without air. There must be a pulley there.
The power steering pump has metric threads for the pressure line. You MIGHT can use your old one but do not count on it. I just had a custom line made for $20. (The vender was a CHEVY man though). I did not try to take off the bracket without removing the pump. You can rent a puller for free from most parts houses.
Check your passenger head and make sure there is an accessory bolt hole just beneath where intake manifold bolts up. There should be 2 bolt holes in the passenger head. If not this unit will still bolt up but you will only be using 2 bolts instead of 3. I have going this way for about 2000 miles but am still nervous.
I bought my brackets, pumps, and pulleys for $125 on ebay. I put in a new water pump and power steering pump and idler pulley about $130 more. Had to buy a fan/fan clutch $35 (junkyard) and hardware $30 (GM, I was raped). Thats right at $300. I then sold my old v-belt setup, that had ac and power steering, complete with the fan for $151. So I got out of it for $150 after all was said and done. GM does sell this set up complete in their catalog for over a grand and just the brackets for $400?
Hope this helps. I really like it. But I am junking the fan and going with Wess's electric set up.
Later

[jku72]

Sounds like a pain in the butt to me. Why can't you just run a serp belt in the same manner the V belts are run? I dont understand at all why you couldn't just take the pulley's, and get a measurement on a new belt, and use a regular rotation, e.g. stock water pump, and delete any and all idler pulleys, and just tighten up the belt the way the old belts were.
I have a crank pulley, a water pump, and an alternator. If I just swap the pulleys only, dump the idlers, and measure for a new belt, I see no reason why it wont work.
What am I missing here?

[chickenwing]

Originally posted by jku72
Sounds like a pain in the butt to me. Why can't you just run a serp belt in the same manner the V belts are run? I dont understand at all why you couldn't just take the pulley's, and get a measurement on a new belt, and use a regular rotation, e.g. stock water pump, and delete any and all idler pulleys, and just tighten up the belt the way the old belts were.
I have a crank pulley, a water pump, and an alternator. If I just swap the pulleys only, dump the idlers, and measure for a new belt, I see no reason why it wont work.
What am I missing here?

Well,it sounds good.. I think a late cs-130 alternator with a serpentine pulley would bolt up. All three of those pulleys are on the same plane. You could tension it with the alternator bracket. But what if you had other accessories? Does rotation matter for the ac pump and power steering pump? Something would have to turn backwards. Also those pullies line up to different grooves. Could you even find a serpentine pulley for an A-6 compressor?
As far as pain in the rump factor... The only pain was figuring it all out. Very sanitary set-up. I like it.

[jku72]

Why does something have to turn backwards? Thats the hangup with me. It seems that the only difference is in the style of belt and pulley.
To me, the only reason somthing would have to turn backwards is if one had A/C, and in that case the water pump, because it is on the opposite side of the engine. But with the alternator, and P/S pump on the same side, there is no need for anything to turn backward. Am I right?

[chickenwing]

Originally posted by chickenwing


But what if you had other accessories?.... Could you even find a serpentine pulley for an A-6 compressor?..."

You are right. With only those 4 pulleys everthing would have same rotation. I do not know if the alt and p/s pump are on the same plane though after you put on the pullies. With the v-belts they are not.
After thinking about it. I remember the serpentine power steering pump shaft was not tapered, while the v-belt one was. The pullies will not interchange. Pretty sure the late model pump will mount on v-belt brackets though. The pulleys on the alternators will definately swap.
If it does work, need to use both the alt and p/s to tighten up the belt. Only so good a foldin up those models in my head.