Thread: Chevy 350 serpentine to v belt system

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Serpentine is much quieter system, easier to change belts, etc. However, there are some things to keep in mind:
Water pump is specific to serpentine....v belt pump runs opposite directioin
A/C compressor is fixed mounted in bracket, belt tensioner makes slack adjustment. IT is direction specific
Alternator is also fixed but will run either direction
Power steering pump is fixed location.
I have done the swap by getting brackets off of a Vortec truck and finding the accessories. HOWEVER you must realize that the head mounting holes are Vortec specific.

Well at this time, I can't afford to get all the accesories(or I'd rather not buy new ones when the ones that are in the skylark work fine.) I guess I was at a standpoint where I was wondering if I could get my old accessories to work with the serpentine system(aside from the water pump) or how I would go about converting the serpentine to v belt

Originally Posted by efregoso

Well at this time, I can't afford to get all the accesories(or I'd rather not buy new ones when the ones that are in the skylark work fine.) I guess I was at a standpoint where I was wondering if I could get my old accessories to work with the serpentine system(aside from the water pump) or how I would go about converting the serpentine to v belt

You'd buy new serpentine pulleys for your accessories, then figure out what kind of brackets you need to mount them to the Vortec, assuming that you already have the tensioner unit. If not then you'll need to buy one, or source one from a salvage/pick-n'-pull. Going the other way, you'd buy a new crank pulley, a new water pump pulley, and a new water pump for a V-belt application (rotates the opposite direction), and again figure out the brackets needed to mount your old accessories and have them properly aligned with the drive pulley & water pump. Matt's suggestion of Alan Grove is a good one for brackets & mounts, but if you're not able to afford accessories for the serpentine drive I think you're going to be surprised how much it costs you to swap over to V-belt drive.

Good luck with the quest.