I saw what he was advised, then at the end he says:
I sort of figured the point of two belts was for insurance against failure, and I’ll put the right ones on there as nature and GM intended,
And I meant no disrespect to anyone on here as that would be counterproductive to asking for help, I was just pointing out an observation.

 

Looking forward to some updated new belts installed! And pics ..

good luck..

 

After trying to find the correct belts I finally got tired and switched to a March Performance Serpentine Pulley Kit. It is so much easier to take care of with just one belt. The only part I wish for is a Tension-er Pulley with the serpentine. I just take a wrench and crank it tighter and then tighten the lock nuts every 500 miles. The serpentine belt is a big improvement on my BB. The one negative to the Serpentine belt kit by March is that you need a new type 2 power Steering pump with an external reservoir. I did keep all the pulleys and brackets for a BB with Power Steering and a 4 speed.

Switching to a Serpentine belt might not look original but I have less trouble with belts since I made the swap. I have one belt on the engine and a "spare" vacuum sealed in a small bag and stored in the back for "just in case". When your engine looks good not many people notice the belts not being original.

For you 1968 C3 Owners be sure that you are using the right pulleys on the water pump. In January of 1969 they re-called the 1968 427's and replaced the water pump Pulley under Warranty. The new pulley spins the WP faster helping with cooling at low speeds. It makes a difference in your Coolant temperatures when you use the newer Pulley.

 

No disrespect heard on my end. When we're only communicating through written text, it's easy to interpret something that wasn't intended.
Agreed that 1 question can return 20 different answers... and just wait until you ask about favored brand of motor oil or (gasp) silicone brake fluid!

 

I don't own a flame retardant suit. I'll just read what has already been written now that the fires are out.

 

I would not drive my car without the short water pump pulley to crank pulley belt. The power steering belt would be the main belt and I wouldn't trust it, and it would probably squeal. And besides that, I've had issues with original GM big block power steering brackets not handling the stress.
The link 67:72 posted is a good one, here is the chart for your '71.



The water pump belt listed is GM #3952336, which cross references to a Gates 7315. It is 31.5" long and .41" wide. If I were you, this would be the one I would install.
My water pump belt is a 15320, which cross references to a Gates 7320. It is 32" long and .41" wide. A half inch longer and it's not quite as hard to install and the idler pulley pushes in to give it a little snug.

Let us know if you need any help/advice to install your belts.

 

Thanks, that's the exact kind of hand holding I need. I will go with your recommendation and get the one you bolded about.
What would you recommend as the correct one for the PS/Alt belt, if I'm taking things off I might as well put a new one on there too.
If it's just nuts and bolts I can probably handle that.

 

From your engine photo, your PS belt looks pretty new.
Question, can you remove the power steering cap to check the fluid level like it is? If yes, then that is a good thing.
Is the PS belt adjustment maxed out? If no, then you're good to go. If yes, then you should probably replace it.

Don't order an alternator belt yet, the belt size will depend on the final position of the power steering pulley.
Can you read the size of your alternator belt? Like I stated earlier, you have the wrong alternator pulley, which caused the previous owner/installer to alter/space the alternator to make the pulley groove line up with the PS pulley.
My point is that the alternator belt is the easiest belt to install on your car, and the diameter of the pulley is wrong so you can't go by the belt chart listed, I've been there done that with pictures to prove it.
When you are finished with the water pump to crank belt and PS belt and the belts tightened up, if your current alternator belt fits correctly and you want a new one, then just replace it with the same size.

When you complete your belt project, make note of each belt size and safe the information for future reference.

 

One more thing, if you can find the Gates 7315 locally that would be a good thing in case you can't get it on. That way, you could exchange it for a Gates 7320 belt.

 

Okay, alt belt adjustment is maxed out...



And based on these 2 videos, I'm guessing my PS belt is to loose.

So I really should replace the 2 that are there, add the missing one, and since I don't currently care about AC, just take that one off. Right?

Oh, and I couldn't find the PS adjustment, so I don't know if it's maxed out or not, where do I look for it?

 

The P.S. Pump has two bolts. One on top for locking down, one on the bottom which is a pivot bolt. Usually the pivot bolt is so tight and rusty that it needs to be slightly loosened for belt adjustments. Bottom pivot bolt is only accessible from underneath (ramps).

Do not use a pry bar to remove slack at the pump. Use a pry stick, such as a 1 X 2. Wood is more forgiving and not as likely to damage the pump. The stick can be jammed between the pump and the block. Go slow & steady, checking the belt tension. Then snug down the upper bolt, then bottom bolt, then top bolt again.

 

For the OP:
Here's the bracket and attachment points for the PS pump:


And for applying pressure with a pry stick to remove slack in the belt, it doesn't need to be gorilla strength, which can damage the accessory's bearings. Apply only enough pressure so there's a bit of tension on the belt. With light thumb pressure the belt should deflect about a 1/2" to 1" at the mid-point between the two pulleys.

In this diagram you can also see the idler pulley. Similarly to the PS pump, you'd loosen both the top nut and bottom bolt and push it into the belt. I only use hand pressure to tension the belt before snugging the nut and bolt back down. There's actually quite a bit of friction between a non-glazed (worn) belt and the pulleys it serves – a pulley brought snug against a belt is better than tight.

 

Here is a photo of the PS adjustment nut on the rear. I use an offset box wrench to loosen/tighten.

 

I believe you are correct about the change in sizes and that is causing a lot of the problems we're experiencing. I installed a 7315 on mine recently and still have the sleeve it came in, which states " 3/8" x 32-1/8" or 9.5/10 mm x 815 mm. According to 71 Green 454, Gates 7315 is 31.5" long and .41" wide. Worse, my guess is the original belt was supposed to be .440" wide. Two problems here. First, the belt is not as wide and will sit lower in the sheave as you noted. This makes the belt seem longer. The effective change in length is about 0.2" +/-. Second, the belt size you think you are getting is not what actually arrives.

The Gates website has the same information Mr. Green provided and my guess is Mr. Green, got his information from the Gates website. I originally did this and kept getting the wrong size belts. I finally contacted the Gates rep on this and he told me their website "is not maintained" and the information can be wrong!. Thank you Gates!

Here is what I do: I mark the original belt with a paint stick line and measure the OD with a tape measure. I measure the width with a dial caliper and call the Gates tech line to match the belts. I buy the belt he recommends and one a size smaller and larger and I see which one fits better and return the others. The belts are about 1/2" difference in length and that is huge in the belt world.

I am currently waiting (since Dec 14, thank you USPS) for a Gates 7440 for the power steering belt for my '73 BB. The belt I took off is a marked GM 9433471 Dayco .440x44.5. It measures .436" wide. The slightly longer Gates 7445 belt measures .395" wide.

For the OP on his alternator question. As others have stated you have the wrong alternator pulley and you will want to get the PS belt on and adjusted since that will affect the length of the alternator belt you need. Here is what I do: After the PS belt is adjusted, I cut a longer belt across its width. I put the alternator at its shortest belt dimension. I wrap the cut belt around both sheaves and mark the belt where the excess meets the cut and I measure it. It will give you a good starting point for length.

 

Thanks for posting 2mnyvets, and thanks a lot Gates! I always like their cross-reference site for sizes, too bad it's not maintained.
If you can, will you post all of your belt sizes when you finish installing your PS belt?
Over the years, I decided on using this belt for my PS, it gives me a centered position on the bracket, and also allows me to easily remove the fill cap.
P/S Belt - NAPA # 25-11053, or Gates #7435, 25/64" wide x 44 1/8.

 

2mnyvets,
I can't take full credit for that metric / inches thing. It was the parts counter guy at my local NAPA that informed me on that. Just for the record, I hate metric.

Anyway, you bring up a good point about too narrow of (metric) belts riding too low in the pulley. That certainly would add overall length to the belt.

One belt that threw me for a loop (pun intended) was the W.P.>ALT>Crank. An inch too long and the adj maxed-out. Inch too short, couldn't get the Valve Cover off.

 

thus buying from local like o'reillys.. (USA Gates last i went) many belts... take back what doesnt work.. work backwards 1/2 inch increments

that explains why i am always going 1/2 shorter to tighten properly my AC

 

There's nothing worse than ordering online and getting belts that are either too long or too short.

 

Alright, I'm finally getting ready to go buy belts but I have one more question.

Since the AC compressor has 2 grooves on it and it appears that the 2nd groove lines up with the rear grooves on the crank and water pump, do I buy a belt that runs to all 3 pulleys or just the 2 main ones and ignore that 2nd groove on the AC?

 

The belt configuration you have now is correct, you are just replacing belts and adding the crank to water pump belt.
From what I see in your photos, the AC Compressor belt looks new and the Power Steering belt looks good as long as it's tight.

You will need to take the alternator belt with you and get the next size smaller since you stated it's maxed out.
For the crank to water pump belt, I would try a Gates 7315...if you can't get it on get a 7320.

Of course you will have to remove the fan assembly, and all of the belts to install the crank to wp belt. With the wp pulley in your hand, put the belt on the on the rear crank pulley groove and rear wp pulley groove and work the wp pulley onto the water pump studs.
Report back if you need help.