Need Pulley help on a rebuild

[goingballistic]

OK this is now becoming a lesson in frustration !

I'm on the last part of the rebuild and putting on the pulleys etc. I've got two problems that you guys ( and gals) may be able to help with.

1) The pulley for the crank is a Summit billet pulley. The mount bolts are non standard size, I think I can handle that one but after mounting the pulley it doesn't line up with the water pump pulley. the guys at Summit said "no one makes" a pulley for a crank on a vette that will line up with the short water pump for the vette ( 81 vette). SOMEONE has to make a pulley for the crank, twin vbelt, that lines up with the EDL 8822 water pump and pulley. The only way to correct this is to place spacers between the pulley and the damper. Apparently the Vette 350 front is differnt length from water pump mount to pulley than a standard 350. Anyone dealt with this before?

2) I was also just informed that the 7 quart Milodon oil pan I installed won't fit in the engine bay ad and the tech guy at Summit said "yea those kids that sell parts don't know this stuff". Anyone and I think I asked this before installed a 7 quart in an 81?

Paul.

 

[kiwi vet]

Hey Goingballistic
Cant help with the sump, mine is unknown chromed brand, but if its any consulation my L81 also has spacers to the crank pulley to align.
Seems to run fine, havent notice any vibration or anything.
Didnt even realize this was a problem?
Anyone else have anything to chime in?

 

[goingballistic]

Thanks Kiwi, it just irritates me to death to spend this much time and money on the motor and find out that I have to use a two cent spacer to align a pulley after spending mucho $$$$ on internal balance, parts etc to have some "kid" feed me a line about the parts I'm paying for.

"oh yea...........that'll work on a vette, we sell hundreds of them" and talk to THEIR tech department and find out they "don't know this stuff" ARRRRGGGGGG.

 

[Jack]

but after mounting the pulley it doesn't line up with the water pump pulley. Paul.

Paul:
Which pulley is too far forward ... wp or lower?
JACK:gap

 

[kiwi vet]

Hey Goingballistic

Know what you mean, but maybe the real faults with the management, you pay peanuts......you get monkeys, however......

If Im honest, I find that sometimes "I" fall into the trap of being a "passionate enthusiast", and therefore assume everyone involved with my project feels the same way, when in reality, they are in the business of making money.

Dont get me wrong there are exceptions to this, and they should be applauded for thier standards and ethics.

Keep your chin up, and be happy in the knowledge, that now you know more about your vette, than that "EXPERT".

 

[goingballistic]

Paul:
Which pulley is too far forward ... wp or lower?
JACK:gap

Hey Jack, the water pump pulley is forward of the crank pulley. The crank pulley is a dual and the water pump lines up right between both tracks, so basically the crank pulley has to move forward 3/16" to line it up with the WP pulley. With that said I'm also concerned about the PS pump and the Alternator now. I did however have the foresight to purchase adjustable brackets for this exact reason for the alt and PS pump, I just never imagined that the crank wouldn't line up ! It appears that the only way to solve this is to use spacers between the damper and the pulley, doable but not happy with that solution, it looks "cheesy".

 

[Tritium007]

Ballistic,

When I first got my '81 a few months ago, a fellow vette owner at a local show pointed out that very same pulley issue in my engine bay. When I checked the maintenance records, sure enough, the water pump had been replaced a few years back. What really stands out is the belt misallignment to the alternator. There had been new belts put on more recently and they are still in good shape. Makes me wonder whether they were replaced because of age or abnormal wear. I haven't had any problems with this configuration, but when I have the time, I will either correct it with the spacers or a different water pump. It is subtle, but can lead to abnormal wear on the belts as well as bearing issues for the rotating components. If you do go with the spacers, let me know how it works out. Keep cool, you'll be on the road soon.

Mike

 

[goingballistic]

Tritium007-- The water pump won't solve your problem. The short pump for the vette, everyone makes the same length. It is measured from the block surface to the end of the pump. Chevy got around it on the Vette, apparently, by designing a "special" pulley for the crank........this was news to me! To whit, no one makes a billet aluminum pulley ( at least that I can find) that accomodates the difference in the vette, so the only answer I have right now is to use spacers.........kind of why I posted, I'm trying to see if anyone knows how to get around this without using spacers.

Thanks for the insight and I'll let you kow how it turns out ......can't wait to fire this beast up

 

[Jack]

Paul:
A short "vette" wp and a standard short wp are not the same ... they have a slightly different hub to block dim. Suggest you either do not have a vette wp ... or it ain't assembled right. Put the wp pulley on and see just how much clearance you have between backside of wp pulley's OD and wp housing. If you have some wiggle room, you can PRESS the hub further onto the wp shaft ... you'll need to remove the wp to PRESS and remove the wp rear cover plate ... press against rear shaft and against front of hub. This will move the wp pulley closer to block. I dunno 'bout the edelbrock ... but all pumps I've seen have pressed on hub ... a few ALSO have a set screw in hub. BTW, a typical sb vette short wp has a 3/4" pilot shaft ... typical non vette short wp is 5/8" ... this is not absolute but a generalization.
JACK:gap

 

[Jack]

Also, it won't hurt a thing to run some flat washers behind crank pulley ... we do it on the race cars and they're balanced. Use same type & same number flat washers on each of the pulley bolts.
JACK:gap

 

[goingballistic]

Thanks Jack. The water pump is an Edelbrock 8822, specific to the Vette. Apparently the "long" waterpump is about 3/8" longer than the one I have which would make the situation even worse. I checked the press on the pump and there is no wiggle room, good thought, but no way.

I'm just going to space it out, I don't see any other way around it unless I want to buy a pulley specific to the vette. That aspect kinda blows my mind that vette would have done that and no one accomodates it in after market parts. I can't be the only one that has ever run into this. With all the work that gets done on vettes you'd think some one would have after market? THe only thing that concerns me now is that the spacers have to be almost exact so the pulley doesn't wobble, I toying with the idea of having a machine shop make a plate to place behind it, that way I'm ensured flatness.