Topic: Serpentine belt conversion?
in Forum: C3 Cooling and Heating Systems
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I'm going to be putting a "GM" serpentine belt kit on a friends '80 vette soon. I noticed it the instruction manual that this is a reverse rotation water pump setup. So I now have a delemma.
The stock cooling fan/clutch won't work. Does anyone know off hand what fan blade/clutch off of a GM product will work to solve my problem. For example maybe a early '90's S-10 truck? The blade diameter can't be no more than 18.5." Thanks in advance.
TKO500 5 spd.
Borgeson Steering Box
Born 8/1981
Sequence #3975

Click here to see more pics of my Vette on CarDomain.
Lifetime Member #26
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Joined: 9/8/2005
Posts: 241
Vette(s): 1980 with a Banks Twin Turbo
1969 Convert Big Block
1996 Grand Sport Convert
For what ever its worth the Vintage Air Front Runner bolts right in to a C2-C3 Corvette. There may be a problem with the bottom Pulley and the Frame. There was an artical in Vette Fever and they had to modifiy the Frame on a C2 but mine Bolted right in. I'm sure a Reversed Fan and Clutch is avalable but most People Me included go with an Electric Fan setup at the same time. Dewitts Radiator and there Spal Fan Setup is the most common and works good.
I went with the Billit Specialties Front drive assy. It uses the reverse Edelbrock water pump. I had to heat the front cross member frame with a rosebud torch.....the hollowed out area......to allow a greater clearance area for the front pulley on the harmonic balancer..........lots of work to hammer and grind to make it look factory. I then used Be-Cool electric dual fans to cool the radiator.
corvette440hp
ok...here's the deal. The GM system is already in possession. He didn't want to spend $1500+ for a serpentine belt setup. So he went the GM route.
Now the issue is the fan/clutch assembly.
I want to know what GM product out there used a reverse rotation fan/clutch unit.
I'm not a big fan (excuse the pun) of flex fans and don't want to get into pricey electric fan systems. The car already have an OEM aux. electric cooling fan on it.
TKO500 5 spd.
Borgeson Steering Box
Born 8/1981
Sequence #3975

Click here to see more pics of my Vette on CarDomain.
Lifetime Member #26
I was just looking at my clutch fan, I have never done this but, what about unbolting the fan from the clutch and flip it over??? I have reversed electric fans from pushers to pullers this way but I don't know if this would work without trying. other than that add a puller fan to the inside of the rad and remove the other clutch fan...this I have done and works fine you can add one of two electric automatic switches...one can be installed in the haed or one that mounts to the rad.
John
What a PITA!
GM should put "Will not fit corvette."
I got it 95% done. I've been doing this little project in my spare time, so it seems like it took forever.
I had to grind away some material on the smog delete bracket so I could invert it. It was hitting the upper control arm shaft. Then I had to find a grooved idler pulley to replaced the smooth one since I inverted the bracket.
Then I had to "clock" the alternator since the large battery terminal was hitting the valve cover. Now I can't put in the small support brace. I don't think there is a lot of stress in that area to worry about. Plus I had to go with a connector (2-4 wire) harness with a resistor built in. (NAPA EC82.) There wasn't enough ohm's in the "brown" wire.
So over the winter we are going to research some fan options from flex-a-lite. I purchased a fan blade for a '94 S-10 figuring that might fit. It was slightly to big. I was going to have a machine shop slice off a 1/2" from each tip. But the car owner doesn't want to do that. So off to the drawing board again. Everthing so far looks and functions great. It takes up a lot of room forward of the engine.
TKO500 5 spd.
Borgeson Steering Box
Born 8/1981
Sequence #3975

Click here to see more pics of my Vette on CarDomain.
Lifetime Member #26
in Forum: C3 Cooling and Heating Systems
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