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Hi, I’ve been browsing for a while and this forum has been an incredible resource. The collective knowledge is amazing. I just recently began a restomod build on my 68 BB convertible. I’m a decent hand with a wrench but by no means a professional. I bought the car 36 years ago, drove it for a few years and then stored it until I retired. This car was far from stock when I got it and I’m fine with that as it leaves me some room to build it the way I want it, without the worry of messing up a clean stocker. It’s a 427 with no p/s and the A.I.R. was removed before I bought it. I am adding the Vintage Air system. My question is, do I need the expensive 3 groove water pump pulley to make this work or will a 2 groove work? Water pump, crank and alt on one and water pump, crank and a/c on the other?
Hi, I’ve been browsing for a while and this forum has been an incredible resource. The collective knowledge is amazing. I just recently began a restomod build on my 68 BB convertible. I’m a decent hand with a wrench but by no means a professional. I bought the car 36 years ago, drove it for a few years and then stored it until I retired. This car was far from stock when I got it and I’m fine with that as it leaves me some room to build it the way I want it, without the worry of messing up a clean stocker. It’s a 427 with no p/s and the A.I.R. was removed before I bought it. I am adding the Vintage Air system. My question is, do I need the expensive 3 groove water pump pulley to make this work or will a 2 groove work? Water pump, crank and alt on one and water pump, crank and a/c on the other?
Get yourself an AIM for your year. They have all the different belt/pulley combos illustrated in there. The Vintage Air is designed to use the same belt/pulleys as the OEM A/C system, so get the pulley set up for a 427 with A/C.
Get yourself an AIM for your year. They have all the different belt/pulley combos illustrated in there. The Vintage Air is designed to use the same belt/pulleys as the OEM A/C system, so get the pulley set up for a 427 with A/C.
Thanks for the response. I have the AIM but it doesn't answer the question because there's nothing with my combo in there. The closest I could find was the RPO 60, which showed the A/C and the AIR on the same pulley, if memory serves. I am not in my shop right now. Trying to avoid buying that 3 groove pulley if the 2 groove will work for my application. Hopefully somebody has already gone down this path and can help.
It is really a hard question to answer without knowing more about your engine and pulley set up.
Are all your pulleys, brackets and accessories oem, or are some aftermarket?
My 73 is a big block and nothing on the front of the engine is original.
I am running an aftermarket short water pump, aftermarket alternator bracket and aftermarket ac bracket for my Vintage Air.
If everything you purchase is for a short water pump and your other accessory brackets are oem, then I would say the Vintage Air bracket and pulley should line up perfectly with a three groove pulley.
What do the Vintage Air instructions say to use?
I will use my oem 3 groove pulley for the Vintage Air unless, once I get everything mounted on the front of the engine and find I can get away with a two groove water pump pulley.
You may need to do like I’m doing, mount it all up and see what and how everything aligns up.
Last edited by OldCarBum; Aug 31, 2023 at 10:45 AM.
Factory crank and alt, no p/s, Vintage Air a/c and currently no w/p pulley. Just trying to determine if I can do it with the 2 groove w/p pulley or not. I'm still researching and it's looking like I need the 3 groove and an idler pulley. Ouch...
How about some pictures, OP. Sounds like you're gonna build a great machine! BB WITH air conditioning!!!
Here's some tips will make your AC not have to work as hard, keeping the cockpit cooler. Lot of these easier done with the engine/trans out.
I compiled these from dozens of different posts AND personal experience.
My big block did not have an idler pulley on it so you may not need one.
Mine was an ac and power steering car with a three groove water pump pulley and two groove crank pulley.
If you find an aftermarket aluminum three groove water pump pulley post up the details because I don’t think they exist.
Make sure when you do find a pulley, steel or aluminum, that it is specific to a Corvette because the shaft was a larger diameter on the Corvettes.
Double check the shaft on your water pump to make sure of the diameter.
Are you running the stock clutch and fan set up?
Since you don't care about originality, you might think about converting to a serpentine system. I did, cost wasn't outrageous and it was a much less convoluted setup.
However, your keyword, 'expensive' makes me think price is important. Sometimes original pulleys become important to the NCRS crowd, so maybe you have some good stuff? Dunno, but I kept all my originals because someday someone may want to spend a fortune on them. Money in the bank, right?
Since you don't care about originality, you might think about converting to a serpentine system. I did, cost wasn't outrageous and it was a much less convoluted setup.
However, your keyword, 'expensive' makes me think price is important. Sometimes original pulleys become important to the NCRS crowd, so maybe you have some good stuff? Dunno, but I kept all my originals because someday someone may want to spend a fortune on them. Money in the bank, right?
I think converting to a serpentine system would be great.
I found a great serpentine set up from March that I may ultimately go to.
Its listed in their pulleys and brackets section.
It’s simple and you can use all your accessories.
The March kit comes with the billet aluminum brackets and the Edelbrock high volume reverse rotation short water pump.
By just changing the alternator and ac pulleys which are available from March and Vintage air you can use your current alternator and ac compressor.
The kit is nice, plain and looks extremely well built for $1200.00.
If I have any difficulty getting my belts to line up, I’m just going to pull the plug and convert over.
I think converting to a serpentine system would be great.
I found a great serpentine set up from March that I may ultimately go to.
Its listed in their pulleys and brackets section.
It’s simple and you can use all your accessories.
The March kit comes with the billet aluminum brackets and the Edelbrock high volume reverse rotation short water pump.
By just changing the alternator and ac pulleys which are available from March and Vintage air you can use your current alternator and ac compressor.
The kit is nice, plain and looks extremely well built for $1200.00.
If I have any difficulty getting my belts to line up, I’m just going to pull the plug and convert over.
March is top quality and looks great but it is damn expensive. I bought my kit from them 20 years ago when prices were reasonable. Didn't need a water pump either. I have seen posts where parts were far cheaper and maybe even salvaged. So it if the OP is interested, it is worth a little research here and there. Hopefully this is of interest to him and not hijacking. Here is only picture I could find:
You can do it with 2 grooves if you don't have PS.
Here is a pic from my 68 AIM. Seems to show the 427 without PS and with A/C.
Per the text the A/C uses the 3rd track...
That being said on my small block I actually run the a/c belt on the 3rd track, but I have power steering running on the 2nd track. A/C + PS was not offered on 350 HP 327 so I had to make do.
It would be easy enough to run your belt on the 2nd track by modifying the compressor support bracket to realign the compressor with the desired pulley --- that's what I had to modify on mine to make it align with the forwardmost pulley (3rd).... quite easy really.
Originally Posted by Classicnotold
Hi, I’ve been browsing for a while and this forum has been an incredible resource. The collective knowledge is amazing. I just recently began a restomod build on my 68 BB convertible. I’m a decent hand with a wrench but by no means a professional. I bought the car 36 years ago, drove it for a few years and then stored it until I retired. This car was far from stock when I got it and I’m fine with that as it leaves me some room to build it the way I want it, without the worry of messing up a clean stocker. It’s a 427 with no p/s and the A.I.R. was removed before I bought it. I am adding the Vintage Air system. My question is, do I need the expensive 3 groove water pump pulley to make this work or will a 2 groove work? Water pump, crank and alt on one and water pump, crank and a/c on the other?
Last edited by carriljc; Aug 31, 2023 at 01:24 PM.
I will try on the pics but I'm pretty challenged when it comes to that sort of thing. I have that C60 diagram and it looks to me that #5 is an idler pulley and #'s 6, 4 and 9 are all 3 belt tracks, unless I'm reading it wrong. I think I see what's being suggested about moving the a/c compressor but my understanding is that the BB needs 2 belts driving the water pump, per the original design. As to the March system, not hijacking at all! I appreciate the help. Where did you see that for $1,200.00? That's much better than I have found. Summit is almost double that price. Every aftermarket supplier that I have found are currently on back order for the 3 groove w/p pulley.
I will try on the pics but I'm pretty challenged when it comes to that sort of thing. I have that C60 diagram and it looks to me that #5 is an idler pulley and #'s 6, 4 and 9 are all 3 belt tracks, unless I'm reading it wrong. I think I see what's being suggested about moving the a/c compressor but my understanding is that the BB needs 2 belts driving the water pump, per the original design. As to the March system, not hijacking at all! I appreciate the help. Where did you see that for $1,200.00? That's much better than I have found. Summit is almost double that price. Every aftermarket supplier that I have found are currently on back order for the 3 groove w/p pulley.
I think the 2-belts on the water pump might be on cars with no a/c and no p/s. Without the 2nd belt, you’d only have 1/4 wrap on the WP-alt belt, so not much belt surface driving. With adding A/C belt along with your alternator belt, you have more belt surface driving the WP and you should be fine. Small blocks only have the partial a/c belt and partial alt belt driving the WP and they are fine.
Classicnotold
As you can see in the image for the a/c compressor they just went around the water pump. On my adaptation I have the belt running around both the water pump and the crank to the a/c compressor.
Get the pulley number for your water pump. If we're lucky we can find a forward-most 3rd add-on pulley. I have lots of pulley info. Get me that pulley number on your engine and I'll look around.
But really, I'd just go around both the water pump and the crank and modify the a/c bracket to align with that 2nd groove.
Originally Posted by Classicnotold
I will try on the pics but I'm pretty challenged when it comes to that sort of thing. I have that C60 diagram and it looks to me that #5 is an idler pulley and #'s 6, 4 and 9 are all 3 belt tracks, unless I'm reading it wrong. I think I see what's being suggested about moving the a/c compressor but my understanding is that the BB needs 2 belts driving the water pump, per the original design. As to the March system, not hijacking at all! I appreciate the help. Where did you see that for $1,200.00? That's much better than I have found. Summit is almost double that price. Every aftermarket supplier that I have found are currently on back order for the 3 groove w/p pulley.
As to the March system, not hijacking at all! I appreciate the help. Where did you see that for $1,200.00? That's much better than I have found. Summit is almost double that price. Every aftermarket supplier that I have found are currently on back order for the 3 groove w/p pulley.
I bought the March Serpentine Conversion on my 1968 BB and it fit nicely and works well. I have had mine since about Y2K and it works nicely.even without a idler pulley providing constant tension. The biggest complaint I have is that the "Powder Coating" they tried to apply was not done correctly. The brackets have sheets of several square inches of the silver coating peeling off. It appears the surface was not prepped properly before they applied the powder coating. The pulleys and covers all look very nice, it is just the brackets where I have issues.
The one I had to use with a C3 with power steering is not the wide setup like the one shown in the picture.
I bought the March Serpentine Conversion on my 1968 BB and it fit nicely and works well. I have had mine since about Y2K and it works nicely.even without a idler pulley providing constant tension. The biggest complaint I have is that the "Powder Coating" they tried to apply was not done correctly. The brackets have sheets of several square inches of the silver coating peeling off. It appears the surface was not prepped properly before they applied the powder coating. The pulleys and covers all look very nice, it is just the brackets where I have issues.
The one I had to use with a C3 with power steering is not the wide setup like the one shown in the picture.
Do you know if the setup you have is still available?
I would be more interested in one that doesn’t have the wide design.
Hi, I’ve been browsing for a while and this forum has been an incredible resource. The collective knowledge is amazing. I just recently began a restomod build on my 68 BB convertible. I’m a decent hand with a wrench but by no means a professional. I bought the car 36 years ago, drove it for a few years and then stored it until I retired. This car was far from stock when I got it and I’m fine with that as it leaves me some room to build it the way I want it, without the worry of messing up a clean stocker. It’s a 427 with no p/s and the A.I.R. was removed before I bought it. I am adding the Vintage Air system. My question is, do I need the expensive 3 groove water pump pulley to make this work or will a 2 groove work? Water pump, crank and alt on one and water pump, crank and a/c on the other?
If your car is a non-AC car, then the vintage air system for the vehicle will work of a 2 groove water pump pulley. If you vehicle is an AC car, then they would use the 3 groove water pump pulley.
New guy with a question
