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I have a 1970 454 PS car with no air. When I bought it the car had 2 belts on it that always squealed when I start the car or get on it. After looking in my factory assembly manual I realized the car should have 3 belts, one from crank shaft to water pump, one from power steering to alternator, and one from crank shaft to water pump to power steering pump
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That all said, my crank shaft and water pump pulleys do not line up. I have confirmed the casting number on my water pump so I know it is right. The pulleys look right (3 grooves on water pump, 2 grooves on crank shaft).
Has anyone seen this before? I am stumped. Thank you.
Can you post a picture of your pulleys to show the alignment. Does the lower pulley stick out slightly?
It's possible that the timing chain or harmonic balancer was replaced and the harmonic balancer was not fully seated.
Even though the water pump casting is correct, a 50 year old water pump has probably been rebuilt, and the hub may not have been pressed back on to the correct distance.
they used to sell water pump pulley shims to align the pulleys...not sure if they exist anymore
yes, they do still exist. Summit Racing sells all kinds. Not sure of the root cause of OP’s pulley alignment issue, but this may be a solution for him. I’ve got an aftermarket water pump on mine and had to shim the pulley out slightly to get proper belt alignment…
I have confirmed from the NCRS judging guide that the water pump is correct casting and date code for a 454. I have also confirmed that the water pump pulley has the right GM part number.
Here are the pics. I did have someone suggest a shim, which I may have to do, but I would love to figure out the root cause.
If you decide to space out the water pump pulley, be sure to leave enough of the water pump snout sticking out for the clutch fan to fit over the snout and not rely on just the studs.
In my opinion, I still think the harmonic balancer is not fully seated. But, if that's the case, it looks like your power steering pulley would still be too far out.
Good luck.
From: I tend to be leery of any guy who doesn't own a chainsaw or a handgun.
My crank and pump pulleys didn't line up either. I never noticed it until a couple years back when I put some lighter pulleys on the car. My belts never squealed, and I assume Chevrolet said screw it, as long as the problem is minor, we're not going to spend the money to get different pulleys designed and manufactured.
1970 454 pulley alignment
