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Disclaimer – The information below has been provided as a courtesy to other users. I am not guaranteeing anything with the information below. The information below has not been verified for its longevity, performance, reliability, or credibility. Those choosing to use the information below do so at their own risk. I accept no liability, responsibility, or risk for use or misuse of the information.
* NOTE*: This conversion has not been tested by me. I have a few reference links (posted in the detailed version) that advocate for this set-up working properly and without flaw. I am not advocating the same as this system remains untested by me until my motor is dropped into my truck. I will update this thread with detailed information when it's available.
Crank - The crank pulley needs to be shimmed 0.055” forward. Use 4 x 3/8” flat washers, and pay attention to thickness (get the all roughly the same). Get longer crank pulley bolts (4 of them). Stock is 1”, you’ll need 1-1/4”.
Power Steering - You’ll have to shorten two mounting tabs on the water pump (P/S side) for the power steering bracket (by about 0.240” – see Water Pump). You’ll also have to shorten the stock power steering shim down to 0.725” (approximately). You’ll need a longer p/s to head bolt – 1-1/2” long. You’ll need washers to shim the power steering pump within its bracket to straight it – grab 4 x 3/8 flat washers and stick them between the 3-o'clock and 6-o'clock bolts (2 of the 3) on the power steering tensioner bracket. See the detailed version for more info.
Water pump - For the water pump pulley, you’ll need to shim it with a universal water pump shim. Approximate thickness of 0.063”. Trim the two mounting tabs where the power steering bracket attaches by approximately 0.240” – don’t trim more than this because you’ll run into issues with the bolts behind this bracket. You’ll need two shims for the alternator side of the water pump bracket – see Alternator below.
Alternator – Do a 3G upgrade if you haven’t already. A mid-90’s Taurus comes with the correct pulley on it for this set-up. You need a 7” long bolt (Fastenal P/N: 15177). You’ll need two different sized shims for the alt bracket that attaches to the W/P, one 3/4” diameter 0.837” long, one 3/4" diameter 0.745” long. Drill them for 11/32 holes. The upper shim is 2.625" (2-5/8") long, made from 1” diameter steel drilled for a 29/64 hole. The OEM upper shim is 1" aluminium round stock, is 2.34375" (2-11/32") long and is too short for this upgrade.
BELTS:Two 6-rib belts
Alt – W/P – Crank belt: Gates K060441 belt - 13/16” x 44-5/8” long (20mm x 1135mm)
P/S – Crank belt: Gates K060450 belt - 13/16” x 45-5/8” long (20mm x 1160mm)
** Caution ** Tension the belts correctly. You’ll need to figure this part out on your own. Don’t over-tighten because the belts will fail prematurely.
Pulley comparison is attached for more information on the ratios and RPMs you can expect from this conversion.
Disclaimer – The information below has been provided as a courtesy to other users. I am not guaranteeing anything with the information below. The information below has not been verified for its longevity, performance, reliability, or credibility. Those choosing to use the information below do so at their own risk. I accept no liability, responsibility, or risk for use or misuse of the information.
* NOTE*: This conversion has not been tested by me. I have a few reference links (posted in this version) that advocate for this set-up working properly and without flaw. I am not advocating the same as this system remains untested by me until my motor is dropped into my truck. I will update this thread with detailed information when it's available.
(Detailed version) Ford 400 / 351M / 351C Dual Serpentine Conversion - 335 series motors
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I hate v-belts. They glaze, they’re impossible to get tight, and my 3G alternator upgrade squeals like a stuck pig at idle with the stock V-belt pulley. I’ve been searching for a 351C/351M/400 serpentine set-up since the day I upgraded to a 3G alternator.
Other threads that have attempted this didn’t really do it for me. Provided half-*** information, very few part numbers, sometimes a picture or two… but none were very comprehensive.
Over the last 2 years, I’ve pulled about a dozen different pulleys (crank, w/p, p/s), and have taken photos, part numbers, and tried to save up spare parts so that I could complete this swap one day. The pulleys you’ll see below are 100% junkyard… belts are brand new, accessory shims are home-made, and hardware is off the shelf. If I can do this, you can do this. I’m not a mechanic, I’m a hobbyist like most others on this forum.
The goal: to have a serpentine set-up on a motor that never came with one – on the cheap. Another goal is to have a half-decent thread that explains the process to acquiring a junkyard serpentine set-up on your 351C/351M/400. So let’s get started.
My vehicle: 1979 Ford F250 4x4 with 400, C6, NP205
Stock set-up (special thanks to Bluebolt over at Fullsize Bronco Forum):
After dual serpentine install (my motor):
Junkyard Serpentine Pulleys:
Crankshaft 2x6 rib pulley – Part # E0ME-6312-C7A (1984 Ford Crown Victoria 302 V8)
· REAR 23.0” circumference (7.32” or 7-21/64” diameter)
· FRONT 21.5” circumference (6.85” or 6-27/32” diameter)
Power Steering 6 rib pulley – Part # D9ZC-3D673-A7A (1979 – 1990 Mustang /w 302 V8 - many thanks to NumberDummy for the vehicle ID + years used)
· 16.0” circumference (5.10” or 5-3/32” diameter)
Water Pump 6 rib pulley – Part # D9AE-8509-B7B (1984 Ford Crown Victoria 302 V8)
· 18.5” circumference (5.89” or 5-7/8” diameter)
Alternator 6 rib 3G pulley – Part # N/A (1997 Ford Thunderbird 3.8L V6)
· 7.5” circumference (2.38” or 2-3/8” diameter)
Belts I used:
Alternator / Water Pump / Crank
· Gates K060441 belt - 13/16” x 44-5/8” (20mm x 1135mm)
Power Steering / Crank
· Gates K060450 belt - 13/16” x 45-5/8” (20mm x 1160mm)
Accessories / Parts on my motor:
Crankshaft – Stock Ford 400 crankshaft (1979 F250 4x4)
Harmonic Balancer – PB1082ST PowerBond Street Performance
Power Steering Pump – 2003 Ford F350 7.3L (Diesel) C-II Pump (stock C-2 pump with dual return housing – future Hydroboost upgrade J)
Water Pump – GATES 43041 Stock water pump (stock rotation too!)
Alternator – 3G Ford Alt from 1997 Ford Thunderbird 3.8L V6
Accessory Brackets:
100% stock brackets for my 1979 Ford 400 motor.
Power Steering Bracket P/N: # Unknown.
Alternator Upper Bracket P/N: D4AE-10156-BA
Alternator Lower Bracket P/N: D3AE-10145-DA
Hardware for install:
Shims
*You cannot use the stock shims with this upgrade. You will not get the angles or clearances you need to keep the belts aligned.
· Alternator bracket to water pump: 3/4” steel round stock – shims cut to 0.837” long and 0.745” long, drilled with 11/32” holes
· Alternator to block: 1” steel round stock – shim cut to 2.625" (2-5/8") long, drilled with 29/64 hole
· Power steering to block: 3/4" (OEM) aluminum round stock shim cut/shortened to 0.725” long
· Power steering bracket to water pump: no shims required – cutting is required
Water pump pulley shim - 1 x Tuff Stuff Performance #7620 Water Pump Flat Washer Shim – 0.063 thickness
Crankshaft hardware
8 x 3/8” flat washers - approximately 0.055 thick (each)
4 x 3/8” - 16 tpi socket cap bolts - 1.25” long (1/4 longer than stock bolts)
Power Steering hardware
1 x 7/16” - 14 tpi bolt – 1.5” long
8 x 3/8” flat washers
6 x 3/8” lock washers
3 x 3/8” - 16 tpi nuts
3 x M10x1.5 tpi bolts – 1.25” long
Water Pump to Block Hardware
*All stock hardware for mounting the water pump to the block with 2 exceptions:
2 x 5/16” - 18 tpi bolts – 3.5” long
2 x 5/16” flat washers
Water Pump Fan hardware
1 x Tuff Stuff Performance #7620 Water Pump Flat Washer Shim – 0.063 thickness
4 x 5/16-24tpi (fine thread) bolts – 1.0” long
4 x 5/16 flat washers
4 x 5/16 lock washers
Alternator Hardware
1 x 7/16” - 14tpi bolt – 7.0” long (FASTENAL P/N: 15177)
1 x 7/16” flat washer
1 x 7/16” lock washer
1 x 3/8” - 16 tpi bolt
2 x 3/8” flat washers
1 x 3/8” lock washer
1 x 3/8” - 16 tpi nuts
2 x 5/16 – 18 tpi bolts
2 x 5/16 flat washers
Tools for install:
· Sharpie markers
· Digital Caliper
· Tape measure
· Pulley puller set (power steering specifically)
· Tap & Die set (up to 7/16” size)
· Carpenters square (3 foot square)
· Center punches
· Grinder (grinding wheels, zip disks)
· Bench Vice
· Hammer
· SAE wrench set
· SAE socket set
· 1/2" Drill
· Drill bits (1/4”, 11/32”, 29/64”)
· Permatex High Temp Thread Sealant (PFTE sealant that resists gas, oil, coolant up to 400F)
Install the crankshaft pulley with 1 washer behind each hole of the crankshaft. You need to shim the crankshaft forwards by approximately 0.055” to help align the power steering (you’ll see what I mean later).
With the crankshaft pulley installed, move on to installing your power steering components.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Step 2: Mock-up Power steering>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Once you install all power steering components, you’ll notice that the bracket and pulley point towards the dead center of the crank pulley. There’s plenty of things we can do to move it all backwards.
You’ll also notice that the stock power steering configuration doesn’t line up very straight with the crank pulley either. I’ve got a solution for that too.
Put a square behind the crank pulley and use the rear face of the rear sheave as your reference point. Keep the square tight against the pulley, and seated all the way down against the balacer to keep things square.
With everything tightened down, and the square being held tight against the backside of the crank… break out your measuring tools. You don’t need to be exact, but you need an idea of how much room you need to eat up to get that 6-rib belt on.
Measure. Measure again. And measure one last time, just to be sure. Write down your results.
My power steering set-up was 3/8” forward of the crank. 3/8” is exactly how far backwards I want to move it so it’s straight as an arrow.
I achieved this through the next few steps.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Step 3: Realign the P/S pulley>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
With the power steering pump & housing bracket removed, I solved the issue of the power steering being at a different angle than the crank. You need to remove the power steering pulley from the pump for this step.
Install 2 x 3/8” flat washers between the pump and its housing bracket (shown below). You need to shim the pump at its 3 0’clock bolt, and the 6 o’clock bolt. Leave the 10 o’clock bolt alone, it’s fine without anything.
I had to use 2 washers to make up a difference of 0.120” on two of the 3 bolts.
At this time, it’s a good idea to install new hardware. The pump housing bolts are M10x1.5, and 1.25 long. Use flat washers and lock washers too because the original bolts have a serrated head instead of using flat washers and lock washers.
Now reinstall everything back onto the mocked-up brackets.
The sequence of the pump & C-2 bracket reassembly… Bolt, lock washer, flat washer, P/S bracket, two flat washers (0.120” in thickness), then lastly the P/S pump.
Repeat Step #2, reinstall and measure everything again. Write down that number. I don’t have a pic of mine for reference, but I know altering the angle didn’t change much of that 0.375” (3/8) we need to eat up.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Step 4: Trim your water pump >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
After measuring 3 more times… remove the entire power steering assembly and its brackets.
Pay particularly close attention to these two bolts on the water pump. They’re the key to this set-up (they’re backed out of their holes in the photo).
Using your caliper, measure how far back you can cut these two mounting tabs.
***Note*** I marked these two tabs with a dashed line measuring 0.375” from the face. I can’t get exactly what I need because my ARP bolt kit protrudes forward more than the stock bolts do.
Measuring what I could remove, I came up with almost 1/4” or 0.240”.
***Note***: This is NOT the point of no return. In fact, this entire serpentine set-up can be 100% reversed by using two 0.240 shims to compensate the portion of the mounting tabs (on the water pump) that you’re about to remove.
Next, mark the mounting tabs for exactly what you CAN remove without affecting the bolts behind the power steering bracket (mark them for 0.240” using your sharpie and your caliper).
Using a zip disk, I removed the tabs to the marked depth. I then used my dremel tool to clean up an excess material that affected the bracket mounting (try to get the surface as flat as possible).
Here’s what the removed material looks like.
Chase the two sets of threads you just trimmed using a 5/16-18 tap. Do this VERY carefully. Depending on how you cut the tabs, you might have a burr in the threads that will cause the tap to enter the threads at a slight angle and mess everything up.
Take your time. No pressure
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Step 5: Put your power steering system and brackets back on the motor >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Here’s a picture of the bracket, reinstalled. Notice how close the bracket is to the pump bolts? Who needs lock washers :P
Now you’re getting really close, but still no cigar.
You need the power steering to move a bit more because you just took off 0.240, but needed 0.375. You need 0.130, or an 1/8” if you want to get it perfect.
I threw my square back on, and measured that I had more than 1/8” to go at this point. I didn’t practice what I am preaching because I didn’t write this number down. If I recall correctly, it was something like 0.198. This was likely because I had changed so many geometries and angles with the bracket and pump that the measurement was different than expected. It could also be from the fact that I never used a helper to keep the square tight against the crank.. I held it with one hand… measured with the other hand, and somehow took a photo too.
My point is, you can be more accurate than I was by using a helper.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Step 6: Finish the P/S pump alignment >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Because I don’t like working harder than I have to… I don’t. If you don’t either, grab your least favorite 13/16” socket and your pulley removal/installer set.
Install the power steering pulley further onto the pump than your pulley would allow by lining up the socket with the outside diameter of the pulley nipple (see the pic… this is hard to describe). What you want to do is have the puller push the pulley onto the pump further and eat up that space you’ve got left over.
While doing this, keep your eyes on the space between the pump and the pulley. Don’t put the pulley on far enough for them to touch…. you don’t want it rubbing your pump.
I got my pulley within a 1/16” of the pump. Here’s a photo to show you what I mean.
And here’s the distance I was able to eat up. Woot! 0.112 inches!
Throw the measuring tools back on, and it’s within 0.065” of the crank!
Even though this would have worked, I went one step further.
*** Note ***: This next step is NOT required. I measured everything at this point and came up with a VERY CLOSE fit. See the photo below.
Pay close attention to the belt in this photo. It’s off to one side of the power steering pump. This should work fine on its own, but I wanted near perfect alignment. The next step is completely optional.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Step 7 (OPTIONAL): Shorten the aluminum P/S shim >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I took the OEM aluminum power steering shim and ground it against the bench grinder only slightly. Little by little, I cut it down to 0.725” from its original size of 0.800”.
The end result made me smile because everything else from here is easy. And just look at that alignment!
Onto the W/P and Power Steering.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Step 8: Mock up the water pump >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Install your water pump pulley. The bolts that go into the water pump are fine thread, not coarse thread like all the other bolts so far.
If you’re mocking things up, spend the $2.50 on a set of shorter bolts and washers like I did instead of using the extra-long fan bolts that come with the motor. On the bright side, you can reuse these short 5/16-24 tpi bolts and washers when you do an electric fan upgrade
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Step 9: Mock up the Alternator >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
On this step, you can use your original 6” long alternator bolt if you’re careful. However, the water pump / alternator bracket will require some longer bolts than stock. This is where the 3.0 inch long 5/16” bolts come into play.
If you don’t like rolling the dice, buy the bolt you’ll need by the end of this whole shebang – a 7” long 7/16-14 tpi bolt from Fastenal. 6” bolts are the longest you can get off the shelf, but Fastenal special ordered this from their warehouse for me (FASTENAL P/N: 15177). A whopping $3.00 CAD.
Before you assemble and tighten everything for measurements, grab a nice handful of 5/16” flat washers, and 7/16” flat washers. You’ll need them. Do not forget to include your swivel arm in the bracket configuration for the bottom of the alternator. If you forget it, you’ll have too many washers, and you’ll make extra work for yourself (ask me how I know).
Once it’s all nicely aligned, grab your square and check it against the crank. My waterpump was 0.025 further out than the crank, so I used the crank ONLY when checking alternator alignment.
From here, pull the alternator back off along with the brackets. Keep your stacks of washers organized – you don’t want to bunch the wrong ones together!
I measured 0.342” (approx. 5/16”) for the bottom portion of the alternator bracket. This measurement was wrong – read the note below.
I measured 0.328” (approx. 5/16”) for the top portion of the alternator bracket. This measurement was wrong – read the note below.
*** NOTE***: it turned out that these measurements were wrong by the end of this upgrade. By the end, my two shims for these locations were 0.745” (3/4”) for the top, and 0.837” (~27/32”) for the bottom. That’s almost double and triple what I originally measured!!! The moral of the story is, measure twice cut once.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Step 10: Make 2 of 3 shims >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Your shims will look something like this when you’re done.
You can see that I’ve already shortened my alternator bracket bolts in this photo. I shortened them by about 0.5” but it’ll be specific to each person.
Make your shims by cutting that 3/4” dowel you purchased. Cut it longer than you need so you don’t end up making them too short.
Use your center punch, and drill them out for 11/32”. Slightly larger than 5/16.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Step 11: Mock up the alternator again >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Toss everything on the motor again. See how the fitment works, but use original aluminum shim for the top of the alternator.
With everything lined up and tightened down, measure what distance you need for the top shim to make it all work. This is the last step, so measure carefully. I measured two different distances at first, so I lined everything up several times before settling on a number.
0.431” on one side.
0.457” on the other.
I settled with 0.5 extra material on the shim, not including the measurement to eat up the space between the shim and the block.
In total, I ended up with a shim that was 2.625" (2-5/8") long, and drilled for a 29/64” hole (slightly larger than 7/16). The OEM (stock shim) is 2.34375" (2-11/32") long, and is too short for this application. I chose NOT to use washers + the OEM shim because that seemed hokey to me. For the amount of effort required, the steel round stock shim works very well and is highly recommended.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Step 12: Make a new alternator shim (#3 of 3) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Make your alternator shim by cutting the 1” dowel to length. Cut it longer than you need so you don’t end up making them too short, you can always cut off more or grind it down to size if it’s too large.
Use your center punch, and drill them out for 29/64”. Slightly larger than 7/16.
.
.
.
. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Step 13: Assemble and tighten everything down >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
If you got your clearances correct, you should be able to replicate a very small amount of difference between the front of the alternator and the front of the crank like I’ve shown below. This photo was taken right before I made my alternator shim and trimmed in the 7” long bolt.
I put everything together for the final text fit before measuring for belts. Here’s what it looked like.
You’ll notice that the new alternator shim is slightly larger than the alternator mounting tab / ear at the top where the 7” long bolt goes through. That’s a good thing because you want this entire set-up to be rigid and not shake itself apart.
In order to get that 7” long bolt to tighten everything down properly, I had to shorten it by about 0.25” with a hacksaw just like the alternator bracket bolts (previous photo – see step 10) so that it wouldn’t protrude passed the alternator bracket. The threads on the Fastenal bolt are too long to be 100% inside the block, so cut it down to what you need.
When tightening everything down, make sure you’ve got the power steering pump and alternator in a position where you still have some clearance to release them and move them downwards (to release your future serpentine belts). You don’t want to order short belts, have a hard time getting them on, and then have an impossible time getting them off. That’s what happened to me when I had a belt that was too short on the alternator – ended up pulling the water pump pulley off the motor to get the belt off.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Step 14: Measure for belts + final assembly >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably getting pretty excited like I was. I ended up ordering a few belts and returning the ones I didn’t use.
Measuring for serpentine belts is tricky. There’s a lot of info out there saying you should measure with a piece of string and then add 0.5” to that measurement, but that didn’t work for me at all…
Since this set-up is dependent on what’s available in the marketplace for serpentine belts, there was a potential that the work to get here could be wasted because there weren’t any belts to accommodate the set-up I made.
But lady luck struck when I needed her the most. Belt lengths are in bold.
Alternator / Water Pump / Crank Gates K060441 belt - 13/16” x 44-5/8” (20mm x 1135mm)
Power Steering / Crank Gates K060450 belt - 13/16” x 45-5/8” (20mm x 1160mm)
Go down to your local parts store, or on RockAuto, JEGS, Summit, elsewhere, and order yourself the belts you need.
Here’s the final product with the alternator belt tight, but the power steering belt left loose (don’t worry, the power steering has the greatest travel for adjustment and tightening it isn’t an issue).
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Step 15: Tighten the belts + drink a beverage >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The final step is to get everything tight.
This final set-up that is depicted above is NOT TESTED. I have not run the motor with these serpentine belts on it, and I have not had any experience yet with running this system.
You’re probably thinking that you shoulda read the disclaimer at the top of the thread by now. Time to finish that beverage you opened.
Tightening the belts is going to be tricky, I can’t deny that. There IS such a thing as a serpentine belt being too tight. Since there’s no tensioner on this system, it’s up to YOU to figure out how tight the belts need to be.
I’m sure others will chime in on how to properly tension the belts so that they won’t prematurely fail. I will also update the thread with my findings once I have this set-up up and running.
Hope this set-up works out for me and for all. Best of luck. Comments welcomed.
This is absolutely amazing work. I'm sure that I'm not the only one thinking that, disclaimer notwithstanding, this has got to work slicker than a peeled onion. We're all on the edge of our seats awaiting the runtime account of this very cool project.
Inspired, I may just attempt something like this for my next project which will likely involve a '77 vintage 460. I'm wondering how much of this might generalize to that motor.
Thanks so much for sharing this.
Whoa! Nice work! A lot of time and effort involved and it looks professional. Question: If you are far off road, and you break a serpentine belt or the tensioner or idler pulley goes bad, which happens often on late model stuff, is there any way you can swap an S belt from one from one accessory to another, like, for example, if you broke a water pump or alternator belt somewhere off road, could you swap an A/C or P/S belt on in a pinch, like the V belt guys? Just wondering what the advantage of S belt versus V belt is.
Whoa! Nice work! A lot of time and effort involved and it looks professional. Question: If you are far off road, and you break a serpentine belt or the tensioner or idler pulley goes bad, which happens often on late model stuff, is there any way you can swap an S belt from one from one accessory to another, like, for example, if you broke a water pump or alternator belt somewhere off road, could you swap an A/C or P/S belt on in a pinch, like the V belt guys? Just wondering what the advantage of S belt versus V belt is.
What I got from his first post was that his biggest reason was slipping V-belts and squeeling from his 3g alternator upgrade, so I'd imagine serpentine belts would give a lot more "grip". Under the specs he listed for the belts, it looks like the belts are the same except that one is 1" longer. I'd imagine, provided there was enough adjustment for slack in either of the two accessories, that you could swap them out in a pinch. Otherwise I'd imagine he'd just need a spare of each belt on-board for such an occasion. Just my observation.
Plus this doesn't look like the kind of serpentine setup a new rig would have where it's just the one loooong belt feeding back and forth through everything. It's more or less a v-belt configuration, but with serpentine style pullies. It seems like a nice compromise between the two styles. It's simple enough like the V-belts, but with the added "grip" of the serpentine style belts with all the ribbing.
Find a Kent-Moore BT33-73F, BT3386J, or OTC 6673 (made by Kent-Moore if you look at the Summit Racing photos) used on Ebay. That will allow you to set your belt tension. Technically, what you have is not a serpentine as all the accessories are driven off the same side of the belt, but a multi-groove V-belt. I know, splitting hairs. I have a cast aluminum power steering bracket from a bullnose 400 pickup I was planning on swapping onto mine during my rebuild. If I end up doing the multi-groove I will document any differences that I find between that and the original stamped steel bracket setup you have used. Great job, great write up. I will definitely be returning to this thread. Now, I wonder if the local pick-a-parts have any old Crown Vics, I haven't seen many Fox bodies there...
Like the others, I can't wait to hear how it works when it's all back together.
No pressure, but when is that going to happen???
And is the color Boxwood Green by any chance? Or a reasonable facsimile thereof? Truck going to be the same color?
If this setup doesn't succeed in keeping the alt belt from slipping, I'm looking forward to his "Updated Serp Setup Tensioner Design and Install" article!
What I got from his first post was that his biggest reason was slipping V-belts and squeeling from his 3g alternator upgrade, so I'd imagine serpentine belts would give a lot more "grip". Under the specs he listed for the belts, it looks like the belts are the same except that one is 1" longer. I'd imagine, provided there was enough adjustment for slack in either of the two accessories, that you could swap them out in a pinch. Otherwise I'd imagine he'd just need a spare of each belt on-board for such an occasion. Just my observation.
I'm trying to find a good reason to do this. I haven't had any problems with the V belt assembly even with my 3G upgrade and a ton of accessories and routinely spin it to 5K rpm without slipping or throwing belts. As far as serpentine, ive had tensioners, idler pulleys and seized bearings leave me stranded miles from home times innumerous on my late model stuff. - Yet I REALLY like the clean look the serpentine gives......Maybe keep spare serp belts of varying sizes in case an accessory quits and I need to bypass something? IDK.
Does it free up any HP or give any better MPG? Only if the fan is bypassed, right?
I think there is less parasitic drag from a single serpentine belt vs 3, 4, or 5 V-belts. But not sure that's still the case compared to systems running just 1 or 2 v-belts.
But the power or efficiency aside, or the fear of losing all accessories when a single belt breaks being put aside as well (though kind of a rarity, compared to the old days), are more than offset by the sheer joy of having to remove just one belt, using just a single tool to release tension when servicing is necessary.
Five minutes beats half an hour any day!
Of course, that's only the case on full serp setups, using tensioners and idlers on a single long belt. Something to strive for ultimately still I think.
But Aaron's setup would be easy to service as well, compared to the stock setups. I hate changing belts on our trucks
But a full on modern accessory drive system, like that found on the Explorer 302's would be amazing! Hmm, I wonder if I could get it to run my Thermactor and A/C as well...
The real advantage mechanically, and the reason OEMs started using multi-groove and serpentine setups has to do with surface area and friction. There is more bite to be had and therefore less likelihood to slip. Not all OEM setups use tensioners. Plenty have used moving alternators and power steering pumps. Some don't even use those anymore, but stretch belts are a nightmare for another forum.
Ford 400 / 351C / 351M Serpentine Conversion
