The Project "BLOW" odyssey has begun!

[Kid_Again]

mark/anyone..

another problem that surfaced yesterday is the alternator belt clearance with the lower radiator hose...i moved the alternator from the driver's side to the passenger's side and fastened it to a hooker bracket that fits the headers and the small crank underdrive pulley that i'm using is JUST too small on the inside to fit the extender that comes with the blower....so i have the original lower pulley but it's so large that i may hit the hose with the belt......

..is there a repop lower pulley that's smaller (i have the 8" harmonic balancer) that will fit the same bolt pattern as the larger pulley?

only me

 

[Kid_Again]

...while i'm at it, i have to figure out a way of putting the blower intake into a fresh air stream

the intake faces the rear so i'll be sucking in underhood air which will be OK until about early june...i happen to have the FI radiator support so once i get under way, i can get some air turnover but only indirectly....i've even thought of venting out to the wheel well but that's a bit drastic....


hmmmmm....i could go straight down (could be too tight, not sure) and go towards the centerline and steal fresh air from between the bottom of the radiator support and the bottom of the front clip ( ihave room since i removed the radiator shroud and installed an electric fan) but i would need some custom 3" (i think) bent tubing -> KA-CHING$

any ideas?

any sources of pre-bent plastic or metal blower tubing, say, for the ricer crowd?

 

[bossvette]

there is a book by Mike Knell called "Chevrolet TPI & TBI engine swapping" that has several pages of air ducting and sources to get them Summit and Amazon sell it. Its a good reference source.

order form for ducting http://www.jtrpublishing.com/AirDucts_Order.html

website http://www.jtrpublishing.com/

the book has pictures of the ducts

 

[Viet Nam Vett]

DAGNABBIT!!!!!!!!!!!!

ie crashed 3 times on this response so i'll keep it short

thanks for the responses...67HEAVEN is right on, especially at this price point

mark, if i called you EVERY time that i needed help, you would stop answering the phone...i need you for the big stuff like the hood - you're pretty clever with this stuff

as a back up, i bought scrap plate which is large enough to make a blower mounting plate with at least another inch of drop but that's a`LOT of fabrication work for me...not difficult but not a quick project


ttfn

Heh..don't worry about it.. Call me if you need help anytime.. It's fun hangen out and busten my knuckels .

 

[Viet Nam Vett]

mark/anyone..

another problem that surfaced yesterday is the alternator belt clearance with the lower radiator hose...i moved the alternator from the driver's side to the passenger's side and fastened it to a hooker bracket that fits the headers and the small crank underdrive pulley that i'm using is JUST too small on the inside to fit the extender that comes with the blower....so i have the original lower pulley but it's so large that i may hit the hose with the belt......

..is there a repop lower pulley that's smaller (i have the 8" harmonic balancer) that will fit the same bolt pattern as the larger pulley?

only me

Me thinks maybe a different style alt bracket might change the height to add nore clearence. The other option might be an Idler pulley. If you have any threaded holes in the block or head you could buy an idler pulley that would screw into the head. This would raise the belt up and away from the hose.

Of course I can't tell here because .YOU NEVER POST ANY PICTURES OF THE PROBLEM FREAKEN AREAS..!!! If we could see it would help us to help you.

Why don't you shoot pic's of the blower and drive belt system for us to see.

Of course I could tell you how maybe to fix the problem ..but you might get mad at me.

If you look at MARCH Pulleys on line or ..even call them ..you might find a system that would drive the whole she-bang. Or ..they might be able to engineer up something for you.

But that cost money....

 

[Kid_Again]

Me thinks maybe a different style alt bracket might change the height to add nore clearence. The other option might be an Idler pulley. If you have any threaded holes in the block or head you could buy an idler pulley that would screw into the head. This would raise the belt up and away from the hose.

Of course I can't tell here because .YOU NEVER POST ANY PICTURES OF THE PROBLEM FREAKEN AREAS..!!! If we could see it would help us to help you.

Why don't you shoot pic's of the blower and drive belt system for us to see.

Of course I could tell you how maybe to fix the problem ..but you might get mad at me.

Ok....in rough order of what you said.......i'm a busy 'zecutive and have little time to actually edit and post pictures - i have LOTS of time to type when i'm travelling in the company's G IV and my minions are bowing and scraping, but i digress......

haven't you ever heard of "pictures in your mind"????....oh, that's right we both grew up in the 60's and know better


....hmmmmmm...i like the idea about the idler pulley..i could start with the idler that came with the engine and see what works...kinda go back to that thought that i had of getting a trophy at the next Corvette Boardwalk show for most pulleys on a belt...maybe the next time we hook up, we can go to the u-pull-it yard on ocean heights for a decent pulley..


see? you didn't need a picture!

OK, 'nother war story on the blower install...i had to use the two bolt holes on the lower driver's side of the block to retain the bottom of the mounting bracket that i had to bead blast...it's where the original idler pulley was attached AND they were both stripped...at least i didn't have to worry about interference from the radiator shroud.........in order to drill for the helicoil, i needed my 90* power drill head - i think i've used every tool that i own on this job...all that's left is to use my number punch kit to stamp the blower and bracket to retain the # match designation...


....now, all i have to do is find a helicoil kit for 10-32 screws for one of the tripower carbs...think i may have to go to a gunsmith supply

 

[Kid_Again]

If I only had another foot of clearance......

Here's a bit of an update (the going is slow since I work on the car ~every other weekend or so)......

I had Mark over to help put on the hood and I wound up with decent hood clearance all around .....i was so nervous that i made Mark look under the hood and tel me what he saw.........

....so, we're doing belly butts and high fives :Twist and just congratulating the crap out of each other and THEN i try to fit the blower crank pulley and spacer on the front of the harmonic balancer and i have big league interference with the frame crossmember......****hnoes


...as always, VNV has loads of ideas, the best of which was to call Vortech and see if they can reverse the size of each respective pulley....which means i would have to send it AGAIN to Vortech (if they had such a setup) and pay $60 shipping each way, cost of parts, etc........NAH!

so, i took his second idea which was to make a cardboard mockup of the pulley and spacer and use that to figure out how much to shorten the spacer to make everything clear....pretty nifty idea

....which means that if i shorten the spacer, then i have to move the blower rearward the same amount by fashioning spacers....i figure that i may need up to a 1.25" set back but i fashioned temporary spacers of 1" as a place to start...but will use the cardboard mockup as my lead

...the real PITA is that I have to make 3 cutouts in the mounting plate to allow the blower to slide back any meaningful distance and i don't have a milling machine, so I went the old fashioned route by drilling out a bunch of metal and using my metal cutting band saw to get major chunks out of the way....i'll do the finish work with air-driven carbide bits....this is taking a LONG time but i'd rather do it myself....shortening the spacer is another deal altogether since i already talked to a local machinist who will shorten the spacer but leave it a little long and true the cut surface on a lathe....i HOPE that i don't need more than 1.25" to clear....an earlier frame would have NO clearance......


which continues to **** me off that the articles i read about installing this kit in a midyear leads one to believe that only minor modifications are required....wait'll you see the pictures i post of the "before" and "after" for the blower mounting plate - i probably will have cut away 30% of the metal and drilled a bunch of new holes........

...which reminds me that the latest issue of CHP has this kit being installed in a Chevy II or something like that....takes all of one page to describe

 

[bossvette]

one of the reasons I am still working is I don't want to give up access to the machines

 

[4WDVETTE]

Joe - call Dewey - he has all kinds of lathes, etc. right in his shop in Strathmere. If they don't work, he has a torch and a hammer, what else do you need for this type of intricate work. You saw what he can do - bug him - he loves it!

Steve

 

[Kid_Again]

steve....great idea....if i'm downa' shore and need to to have it cut down, i will definitely give him a call.....i still have the phone numbers that you gave me..



'course, i COULD cut six inches out of the frame cross member:eyerole

 

[4WDVETTE]

What's a little snip among friends!

 

[Kid_Again]

...well, i followed VNV's advice, made a cardboard mockup of the Vortech lower pulley and extension, cut the cardboard extension 1" shorter and IT FITS!!!!:dancenaughty:dance;worship ...mark does it again, way to go!!!!!!!

...in fact, i have enough clearance from the frame cross member that I can slip the blower belts on and off without removing the pulley....WHEW!!!


...so, i'll cut the original extension and true the cut end (it's about the diameter of a 1lb coffee can and about 5" in length), buy some shorter Grade 8 bolts, fabricate wide 1" aluminum spacers to step the blower back and finish altering the Vortech mild steel blower mounting bracket to accept the relocated blower and i'm back on track

once again, i was reluctant to see the end result of my efforts (remember i had VNV look under the hood for me to see if the blower cleared the hood!), so I told my wife I had to prepare a beverage of my choice....she said "BUT IT'S ONLY 9AM!!!!!) and I apologized for the later start

 

[Viet Nam Vett]

...well, i followed VNV's advice, made a cardboard mockup of the Vortech lower pulley and extension, cut the cardboard extension 1" shorter and IT FITS!!!!:dancenaughty:dance;worship ...mark does it again, way to go!!!!!!!

...in fact, i have enough clearance from the frame cross member that I can slip the blower belts on and off without removing the pulley....WHEW!!!


...so, i'll cut the original extension and true the cut end (it's about the diameter of a 1lb coffee can and about 5" in length), buy some shorter Grade 8 bolts, fabricate wide 1" aluminum spacers to step the blower back and finish altering the Vortech mild steel blower mounting bracket to accept the relocated blower and i'm back on track

once again, i was reluctant to see the end result of my efforts (remember i had VNV look under the hood for me to see if the blower cleared the hood!), so I told my wife I had to prepare a beverage of my choice....she said "BUT IT'S ONLY 9AM!!!!!) and I apologized for the later start

Cool.. Glad to hear it's working out. 9:am..huh...Good time to have a drink..right after "O" Dark 900...

 

[Kid_Again]

...yeah, another reason to hold my breath and see what else now needs to be modified.......after i fit the blower and pulleys, i need to test the length of the blower belt and then also decide which hole i use as the pivot point for the tensioner pulley arm - i have a choice of two - and then modify the mounting plate accordingly....i'll probably need your help on that and will keep you posted


...i also mounted the boost retard box and will have to fab a mounting plate for the adjustment knob that's mounted in the cockpit....i'll probably mount the boost/vacuum gauge on the driver's side eyebrow with a dab of silicone glue so's it can be removed but i'm not sure that will be secure enuf

 

[Viet Nam Vett]

will have to fab a mounting plate for the adjustment knob that's mounted in the cockpit...

You can go to Pep Girls or most auto parts stores and find a pre made bracket for your switch to under dash mount it. Some come with a SPST switch and mounting plate. You can buy the switch and plate and save the switch for the nitros you'll add next year..

 

[Kid_Again]

..yup, nitrous for the sb

....supercharger, turbocharger, nitrous and alcohol for the bb (AND, i'll keep the A/C)

 

[Kid_Again]

....i want to thank 4wdvette for the advice about who could do the machine work on the pulley extension but since i had the time, i took it to a shop in the hopewell area....will probably cost a small fortune but i'm paying for the convenience factor.....

i finished hand shaping the mounting plate to allow the blower to mount from the rear of the plate (as opposed to the "stock" front mounting) and I have to say, the plate looks nothing like what it was when it arrived....OK, Mark, one of these days i WILL post some pictures......


i just keep thinking about those magazine articles which misleadingly describe a vortech drop-in for a midyear..."Fred Knobjob said it took him a long weekend to add this killer blower to his custom low rider '63 split window Corvette"....yeah, right...

 

[Kid_Again]

OK, Mark's been busting my chops to post some pictures and i thought i would attach a picture of the "VNV Memorial Supercharger Pulley Extension Engineering mockup" and the "in the white" spacers i made to offset the blower to the rear of the mounting plate.....they had to have about a TCH filed off one side to clear the blower housing and i'll powder coat them for the final installation......


the cardboard mockup is the identical size of the pulley with one inch cut off the extension....it was a thing of beauty to see how much frame crossmember clearance i had.....

 

[Viet Nam Vett]

OK, Mark's been busting my chops to post some pictures and i thought i would attach a picture of the "VNV Memorial Supercharger Pulley Extension Engineering mockup" and the "in the white" spacers i made to offset the blower to the rear of the mounting plate.....they had to have about a TCH filed off one side to clear the blower housing and i'll powder coat them for the final installation......


the cardboard mockup is the identical size of the pulley with one inch cut off the extension....it was a thing of beauty to see how much frame crossmember clearance i had.....

Schweeeeeeeeeeeeeet...

 

[Kid_Again]

Well Boys and Girls, with VNV's help, I passed a major milestone over the weekend. I haven't had much time to work on this because of weekend commitments but the initial planning is paying off.

I finally got the blower belt to align on its three points, the lower pulley crank, the idler pully and the compressor pulley. I cut the lower pulley spacer too short so I machined some 1" wide spacers to length and shimmed out the idler pulley with some washers. I also managed to buy the correct, shortened serpentine belt because I lowered the entire blower assembly. One thing after another. After I get everything done and running once, I will cut the spare lower spacer (Vortech sent me a spare for some reason, thank God) and machine the correct spacer for the idler so it looks purdy. It will all be powder coated to match and should look like I did i right the first time.

My next problem is to align the alternator correctly with the v-belt pullies on the lower crank and the water pump. It turns out the Powermaster 140A alternator that I bought needs to be re-clocked but the case interferes with the turning. So, I called their tech service and it's just like a regular GM alternator, pull the halves apart, reclock it and retain the brushes with paper clips. I should be good to go next weekend, assuming I have the correct mounting brackets.

Finally, the aluminum heads I bought required +.100 longer pushrods (gee, thanks, Jegs), installed them over the weekend and all the valves are now adjusted. I primed the oil system just because I could. Took a while of course. My oil feed for the compressor is off the top of the block where the oil gauge plugs in and I originally closed that off with a vacuum plug retained with a small hose clamp. Shot the plug right off the first time. Oil everywhere. Entertaining:eyerole but at least I have decent oil pressue.

My next challenge is to get a longer oil line for the compressor. Once again, I'll just use this to get on the road and will fab my own oil line with AN parts. I'm calling around to see who manufactures custom oil or hydraulic lines.

The saga continues.

At least F&M deli is open again for the season, Mark was having lean pastrami withdrawl symptoms.