matty b

hey guys, being a DIY guy to the bone I was considering making a front runner style accessory drive. I wanna do it to keep the alternator and power steering in front of the engine to clear the way for a pair of hairdriers. I was thinking that I could fab brackets out of mdf to get it fit then make it out of aluminum plate and spacers. I want to make a truss style bracket not like the S&P brackets more or less cause it looks better. My plan would be to make a back plate, a front plate and bolt it together with spacers and through-bolts. What I was looking for is any suggestions from anyone that may have done anything anywhere near this type of thing. Id just buy a setup but they are freakin expensive. I just cant afford ~$3k for an accessory drive. I have an alternator and power steering pump already and the stock brackets but Ill probably have to start completely from scratch. So if you have any advise about how to build the brackets and maybe any tips on aligning them or where to find idler pulleys ect Im all ears. Im sure alot of guys in this forum would find any info really useful since we all normally have to at very least modify the drive to fit our differnt cars. thanks in advance hopefully I get some replies :crossedfingers:

1970-Cloned

iTrader: (1)

If you have the time and ability do it. However I would caution you that sometimes reinventing the wheel costs more. Might be cheaper to get an F-body setup by piecing it together. I got my entire Corvette drive brand new for around $1200 and many here brag about getting there F-Body setups for $500 or less. Just some food for thought.

Horsepwraddict

iTrader: (12)

coming from a SBC world before I came to the LSX I know where you are coming from, lots of people make their own brackets. It wont be hard to make something, especially with the ideas you have and obviously the know how. If your stuffing two snails under the hood, I think you can rig up a bracket for an alternator and PS pump.

subtlez28

iTrader: (15)

Do it. After you make the patterns, have a couple sets of aluminum plates made up by a water jet company (they do aluminum to, right?) and sell the extra sets to recoupe the investment. You could end up w yours for free.

rockytopper

I've been there and done it already. (water jet that is) you can check my listing on ebay. And I don't want any of you cheap no money whining babies post in here in about the price of such products. It cost money to get quality and no they aren't making this stuff at Auto Zone in mass quantity so you can pick it up for 20$. Else I'm a DIY myself and I would have bought mine there. I did my own for the exact reason this post was started. I bought an entire engine and trans for 3500$ and I’m not about to spend 3000$ on accessory brackets. That is because I too am a no money baby but I don’t whine to someone else about it.

garys 68

iTrader: (1)

Yep, I'm doing the same thing out of necessity.
I only need the AC compressor and alternator mounted high on each side of the engine for my 68 vette.
I did some searching here and on corvetteforum and was able to find templates. I'm doing a trial fit with 1/4" plywood but will either cut my own (metal band and chop saw) or send out to a machine shop.

LS1GMCTruck

iTrader: (2)

Does S & P make anything like what you guys are looking for?

matty b

yep but even s&p is over 2k. Ive been looking at a car in the shop with a march setup and the only issues I forsee is that to sit a cs144 alternator (its about 3 inches shallower than a stock ls1 alt) you have to some how space the waterpump and crank pulley out about 2". Im wondering if using a truck waterpump pulley and crank pulley would get the spacing out enough to pull it off. Also the more I look at it, the more this would be really easy to make. Does anyone know of a place to find idler pulleys? I think Ill need two down low since Im gonna run a high mount drivers ps pump and high pass alt. As far as cutting it out I did in fact plan on having it waterjetted. A shop right around the corner from mine does it and they dont charge much to program the cuts and jet it out. Last brackets I had made were .25" aluminum and for materials and time to draft it out costed me about $200 bucks. Id be well ahead of the game if I got a CS140 alt for around a $100 possibly reuse my ps pump and had a few brackets cut. Itd be WAY under a grand and I get to say I made it myself. Its all well and good to buy stuff out of the box but Im not rich and even then it may not be exactly how you want it, making it custom takes care of that. So Im gonna plug along on this and try to get a plan together. Once I do Ill take pics for you guys and try to post up some measurements. Thanks

rojs234

iTrader: (5)

To *matty b*. I built the drive setup for my '34 Ford with an LS2 engine myself and it was'nt all that difficult. It did take a little time, but I've got a lot more of that than I have money. I built mine out of steel but it would be simple to also use aluminum. Mine is a carbureted setup but the same ideas would work on an injected engine I would think. I would be happy to post some pictures, but I am so dumb when it comes to computers that I simply have no idea how to do it. If someone would PM me or e-mail me and tell me step by step how to do it, I will give it a try. Or, if you will PM me your e-mail address or post it, I will e-maill you 5 or 6 pictures and some of the details of my setup if it would give you some ideas. My e-mail is ( ronjsjrkm@aol.com

philntx

iTrader: (8)

[QUOTE=matty b;9589690]hey guys, being a DIY guy to the bone I was considering making a front runner style accessory drive. I wanna do it to keep the alternator and power steering in front of the engine to clear the way for a pair of hairdriers.

You must have some really long hair if you need to install hairdriers in your car!

Just kidding.

sparkwirez06

iTrader: (18)

http://www.schwartzperformance.com/products.htm, Here's a layout if you have this much room in the front of the engine.

Carshopinc.com

iTrader: (5)

We offer front drive kits in a few different configurations:
alt only 550.00
http://carshop.carshopinc.com/produc..._id/88927/9998

Alt powersteering 850.00
http://carshop.carshopinc.com/produc..._id/88928/9997

Full kit 1350.00
http://carshop.carshopinc.com/produc..._id/88926/9999

rojs234

iTrader: (5)

I am going to try and post some pictures of the drive system I built for my carb'ed LS2 with L92 heads. Since I know nothing about computers, this may or may not work. If it does, I will post again to elaborate a little if it will help anyone.

Pop N Wood

iTrader: (1)

Anything is possible. Denso alternators off of imports are a good bit smaller than the GM ones. Belts come in every length imaginable. Here is my LS2 set up which has the Corvette accesories (closer to block). Not as much belt wrap as most guys, but with only an alternator on a carb'd vehicle it works.

Idler pulleys are available from Autozone, summit, jegs, you name it. For alignment I clamped a straight edge to the crank pulley and measured back from there to the first pulley groove.

The truck pulley and WP does move things out a inch and a half I think from the vette stuff.

Carshopinc.com

iTrader: (5)

To insure proper alignment you should use a laser liner, we do this on everykit we sell prior to shipping to insure a trouble free install.