brake plumbing
 

guys, thanks so much for your interest in this project!
recently i've been trying to get the rest of the brake line plumbing knocked out...
it's 3/16" DOT rated nickel brake tubing i can shape easily with a simple bending tool or by hand.
please let me know if anything looks screwy.
thanks a lot!
danny

brake plumbing
 

finished up plumbing the brake lines in the rear...

chassis
 

many of my friends have been asking about this project, so before i left the shop tonight i snapped this shot and sent it out...
thought i'd share it here as well.
danny

serpentine conversion
 

i have been thinking about this idea for a long time, but i'm starting to feel like i'm floating in uncharted territory.

these are all 6 groove serpentine pulleys.
i still need a plan for including an auto tensioner and/or idler pulley.
i still need a plan for spacing out all pulleys to alignment.
do any of you guys have experience with "do-it-yourself" serpentine conversion systems?
if so, i would be very thankful for your input.
also, where else might i look to find information about this kind of modification?

of course, i still have all the original v-belt pulleys so if this serpentine conversion idea doesn't work out i can just reinstall the original system.
please feel free to share your thoughts... thanks!
danny

serpentine conversion
 

all the accessory pulleys are now aligned.
i used an assortment of crude washers and sleeves to get them into place.
from here i can calculate dimensions and order one-piece aluminum spacers from aluminumspacers.com...
the water pump pulley lined up to the crank pulley with 3/16" of spacing behind it, the alternator needed about 11/32" of spacing and the power steering pump required about 15/32" of spacing.
hopefully, nothing got pushed too far forward.

now i need to determine where the belt tensioner pulley will have to go, and how i might have to shape a bracket to mount it.
i have found various resources online which cover the basics behind this kind of modification.
there seem to be various opinions about whether or not power gains are possible with a serpentine conversion, but to be straight up... i'm just hoping i'll never have to fiddle with the v-belts again.
please feel free to chime in with your comments at any time.
thanks for your interest!
danny

Great job on the belt set up.

The car is going to be sweet.

Great idea on the belt conversion. The setup looks very similar to the accessory layout on a LS Corvette. The only issue I see with what you are doing is that the water pump pulley is often smooth so the belt can wrap around it on the driver side so you get more belt contact on the balancer. Can you get a Pontiac water pump set up for reverse rotation? You'd need that if you swap to the smooth WP pulley.

serpentine conversion
 

thanks for sharing your comments guys!
i really appreciate your interest in this project!

the flowkooler high flow water pump #1622 was the best choice for matching up with the mounting pattern on my old school pontiac timing cover.
the impeller in this pump is described as being bi-directional.
however, the backing plate arrangement controls the direction of coolant flow through the housing and this was originally designed for a clockwise rotating pulley.
could problems with coolant flow be encountered by reversing the pulley rotation? i don't know...
my impression is that it would be best to maintain the original direction of rotation at the water pump.
yes, to make this serpentine conversion work i must find a way to get enough wrap on all the pullies.
any other thoughts out there?
thanks for your input!
danny

transmission
 

this is the muncie 4 speed transmission from my mother's black goat.
it was rebuilt by Young's Gear and Drivelines of Fairbanks.
the shifter is in south carolina right now being refurbished by Hurst.
this is really just mock up stage: i haven't yet installed the flywheel, clutch or pressure plate.
the hydraulic throw out bearing and clutch master cylinder upgrade kit from Mcleod Racing should be here this week.
always moving forward...
thanks for your interest!
danny

clearance
 

the doug thorley headers extend about 1.5" below the oil pan.
i do not intend to hug the ground too close with this car.
the lowering springs i installed in the front suspension came with a pair of SPC spacers for each side which can be placed under the spring seat to adjust the height of the front suspension.
they are not installed at this time, but they're on-hand if i need to bring the ride up a little bit in the front.
the alignment of the header collector outlets with the transmission crossmember looks promising.
thanks for checking in on my progress!
please feel free to share a comment if you have one!
thanks,
danny