When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I have a 1963 Jaguar already swapped with a 5.3 liter LS1 aluminum block/head where I used a March serpentine kit and that worked ok but not great once it achieved over 100,000 miles. I drive more than most restomod folks as I average 30-40K miles a year. What I encountered was numerous bearings, pully's slipping, etc. causing belts to shred, and basically after 100K miles it was never reliable and had belt squeak issues even prior to 100K.
I have a lot of searches and believe the best serpentine kits out there are either the Drive Junky or the Wegner. They both seem to offer better quality CNC pieces, without need for spacers, etc. It looks like Drive Junky has better power steering pump, as they use Jones Racing and they use twin 20,000 rpm bearings in the idler & tensioner pulleys.
Does anyone have thoughts or experiences with either or both? What I want is the most reliable drive system for my tight requirements which need the high mount layout. My engine is average with 500-550 HP all motor but will be driven 30-40K miles a year on the street 100% of the time as a sleeper.
While I do have the WAK-033 I've only put a grand total of about 120 miles on my Cutlass so can't speak to the long term use. Both look similar layout wise, just make sure you have plenty of room from the front of the motor to the rad/fans as both have the accessories in front of the motor for the most part. I believe they use truck spacing but not 100% sure. I'm getting pieces together for an LSA swap and I put the the factory LSA balancer up to the lower pulley of the Wegner. The actual 8 rib blower drive section of the LSA pulley all the way at the front lines up with the Wegner pulley. Not a bad thing, just an FYI.
I called and spoke with Zach at Drive Junky and he gave me the confidence & commitment to earn my trust. He had me measure a few key points to ensure his high mount kit will work and he just updated it to also use a reliable Toyota steering pump that would be better suited for my heavy mileage needs. I am going to go with the polished version. I think since everything is made from a solid aluminum block and done so with no need for spacers.
FYI here are a few pics, I've swapped the microwave for a more practical binding machine for cranking out proposals on the road.
I called and spoke with Zach at Drive Junky and he gave me the confidence & commitment to earn my trust. He had me measure a few key points to ensure his high mount kit will work and he just updated it to also use a reliable Toyota steering pump that would be better suited for my heavy mileage needs. I am going to go with the polished version. I think since everything is made from a solid aluminum block and done so with no need for spacers.
FYI here are a few pics, I've swapped the microwave for a more practical binding machine for cranking out proposals on the road.
Have you looked into the Holley kits? They have several different options now and most use oem type accessories which would last longer.
What i have found from driving my sleeper Jag is that most of the kits use similar accessories but actually some are foreign knock off's of the OEM, but worse is that most use lower quality bearings as well and often both are not high quality, also the machining is not as precise. Those related in bearings going out, pully's walking off a little causing the belt to get shredded, and all of these things were more around 90,000 miles or so and then they happened multiple times. I also had an intermittent belt squeak after that mileage which drove me crazy when this is a luxury sleeper car. From researching I feel that the Drive Junky and Wegner were the only ones that eliminated the above issues.
When you look at all of the brands full kits which include everything they are not really that different in price. I would recommend to get kits that are complete as then you are also having that brand press properly the pully's etc. into the accessories which avoids issues caused by improper installs. To me the Holley, March, and most others are all about the same only these two stood out as more truly handmade and better quality. Bigger name brands I feel cut corners and that is what I encountered after pushing the car with that many miles daily as well as the occasional hard street driving. I believe my choice is the right one but time will tell as I drive the crap out of this car unlike most people that do a restomod or pro touring car whom just drive to shows, occasional track days mainly on the weekends.
Here is the Drive Junky setup and it is way better build than what I had before! I know on my car it is hard to see all of the great polished details but for me the most important was the build quality as the new engine is about 500HP and I will put my normal 30-40,000 miles per year. When you daily drive the crap out of a restomod then you realize why the quality is so important on the serpentine kit.
Wow. That’s a really nice looking cruiser. I find it hard to believe March is still in business. I’ve never seen any of there kits look appealing, IMO.
Hearing of your problems with their FEAD makes me glad I never used them before.
Wow. That’s a really nice looking cruiser. I find it hard to believe March is still in business. I’ve never seen any of there kits look appealing, IMO.
Hearing of your problems with their FEAD makes me glad I never used them before.
jimbo
When I did this Jaguar, LS swaps were not as prevalent as they are now and most people do not ever drive as much as I do. I put over 225,000 miles in less than 5 years. When you use it for that many miles then the parts that are not quality start falling apart and the ones that are quality become clear...
07-25-2021 | 09:15 PM
Drive Junky vs Wegner serpentine drive for LS1... 
