Please Help!! PS Pump pulley alignment

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Jan 3, 2002 | 01:03 PM

CDaniel525

Thread Starter

Melting Slicks

Joined: Apr 1999

Posts: 3,264

Likes: 3

From: Toms River NJ

Please Help!! PS Pump pulley alignment

I am getting so damn frustrated with these damn new pulleys and fans ive been working on forever now! :mad Everytime i get going on it something goes wrong or need a special tool or the belts are out of stock everywhere!
I was told that i use the puller to align it properly and then it stays there....so i did that, and started the car and 10 secs into it running, it fell off with the belt :rolleyes:
The pulley has a shaft with a key way, and a threaded end....the pulley slides on and then there is a bolt to hold it on....problem is, whenever you tighten the bolt, it just pushes the pulley back out of alignment. Its like i need a spacer behind there....which ive never heard of. How the heck do i align this thing permanetly?? Did any others with march pulleys have this problem?? or did they bolt right on??
here is a pic of the shaft...

here is a pic of the front of the shaft

here is a pic of the pulley showing the keyway

Thanks Chris :(

Jan 3, 2002 | 02:36 PM

Mike P

Instructor

Joined: Jan 2001

Posts: 104

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From: Columbus OH

Re: Please Help!! PS Pump pulley alignment (74VETTE)

On my '70 LT-1, I had to shim the mounting bracket for the PS pump on the block to get the pulleys to line up. You didn't mention if there was any angular misalignment, or just the front and back misalignment.

Is the PS pulley just too far back in the car? Or is it skewed also? Mine was skewed, and therefore, also too far back on the motor. It was skewed and too far back on the stock pulleys, too. The March pulleys solved my alternator belt throwing problem. I only shimmed the PS pump so it was right. The belt never came off.

Shimming under the bracket on the block rotated the whole pump CCW (while looking straight down on the engine) so that the pulley was at the right angle, and thankfully, in line, front and back-wise. I think I used 3 or 4 washers (and a longer bolt) under the bracket to get it to line up.

Mike P

[Modified by Mike P, 12:39 PM 1/3/2002]

Jan 3, 2002 | 04:22 PM

Fastguy

Team Owner

Joined: Nov 1999

Posts: 26,679

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From: This vette goes to 11 Milford MA

St. Jude Donor '03-'05

Re: Please Help!! PS Pump pulley alignment (74VETTE)

I bought all new "GM Restoration Parts" from Paragon via Eckler's via Internet Vette dealer for my BB and they all sucked out of the box. I had to slot some of the holes and actually bend some of the brackets. One wasn't even close. I have talked to several other people who have had this problem so don't assume the brackets are true, bend them if you need to. Mine are fine now.

Wait a minute, is that an aluminum crank pulley? I would think that is the culprit. I had one on my BB and it wouldn't line up for crap. Bought a steel one and it was fine.

[Modified by Fastguy, 3:23 PM 1/3/2002]

Jan 3, 2002 | 06:05 PM

Mike P

Instructor

Joined: Jan 2001

Posts: 104

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From: Columbus OH

Re: Please Help!! PS Pump pulley alignment (74VETTE)

Please don't be too quick to dismiss the aluminum crank pulley. Chris, is that and underdrive pulley set? It looks like it. The factory style steel pulleys will crack at the bolt holes after a few years of high RPM use. Chris' ZZ4 and my LT-1 are certainly capable of some sustained high RPMs. Even the brand new GM parts will crack after a while.

I put the March underdrive set on (the one for small blocks, not the Corvette-only set for '71 & up) and you can't even tell the pulleys are spinning except when the label on the v-belts goes by. They're honestly that smooth!!

I was skeptical at first, but when I saw how they spun so smoothly, I was sold.

Mike P

Jan 3, 2002 | 06:17 PM

FINWOLF

Melting Slicks

Joined: May 2001

Posts: 2,215

Likes: 169

From: PA

Re: Please Help!! PS Pump pulley alignment (Mike P)

Im going to put my 2 cents in I have a long nose water pump and when I put power steering in I could not get a crank pully to line up I had a custom one made out of two different pullys and it works great now it is not aluminum but I painted it black and it looks great.

Jan 3, 2002 | 08:16 PM

CDaniel525

Thread Starter

Melting Slicks

Joined: Apr 1999

Posts: 3,264

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From: Toms River NJ

Re: Please Help!! PS Pump pulley alignment (Stephen DeFazio)

Well i went ahead and did as Mike P said and shimmed it out with 3 washers behind the mounts, and 3 more behind the adjustment bolt, and it lined up great!! (to answer his question it was just back too far, not skewed) Went to put belts back on and friggin belt for the alternator hits one of the bolts for the PS pump mount! I think i may try to bend the alternator bracket a bit since its off just a ttouch, and seems to be skewed slightly, problem is that the lower bracket looks like the cast steel. Either that or im going to have to find a way to space the pulley on the shaft itself. at this point i just wanna :smash: the car in!!

yes they are an underdrive set from march...tthe 5070 set.....but i didnt get the PS pump pulley.....i wonder if that pulley is shaped any differently :confused: , like without the offset?

I did get everything on before the pulley fell off, but i restarted it and checked outt the new fan and other pulleys, and your right Mike P, they do look great!

Jan 4, 2002 | 01:19 PM

Fastguy

Team Owner

Joined: Nov 1999

Posts: 26,679

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From: This vette goes to 11 Milford MA

St. Jude Donor '03-'05

Re: Please Help!! PS Pump pulley alignment (74VETTE)

Quote:

yes they are an underdrive set from march...tthe 5070 set.....but i didnt get the PS pump pulley.....i wonder if that pulley is shaped any differently :confused: , like without the offset?

I did get everything on before the pulley fell off, but i restarted it and checked outt the new fan and other pulleys, and your right Mike P, they do look great!

I haven't used the March pulleys but I know on the aftermarket waterpump pulley I had for the BB, it needed the full set to line up properly which is why my PS pulley was wacky.