Oddfire Serpentine?

Just wondering if anyone has converted or tried to convert an oddfire engine to run a serpentine belt.

 

Never seen/read/ or heard of any jeep guys with serpentine on the buick 225.

However I looked into it a while back there are kits for the buick 350, I imagine if you are good on a lathe too you could make a kit.

I would love to try and do a serpentine belt system but then again too many other things to do first.

 

Isn't the front of a 225 the same as a 300/340/350 Buick V8? A 225 is just 3/4 of a Buick 300, and the 300/340/350 are the same line. If so, the V8 kit should work.

 

What are the benefit of running a serpintine belt over a stock setup? Does the flat belt grip the pully better than v belts?

 

I believe that the serpentine does have better grip than a v-belt. I'd like to get better grip for the alternator when running the welder and it wouldn't hurt the power steering pump to have better grip either. The problem I see is finding a location for the tensioner. I was told by someone at premier Powerwelder that the v-belt was not optimal for running their alternator. Next best would be a double v-belt pulley.

 

Hey John, If your looking for the ultimate belt drive system............Google up " Gilmer belt pulleys" or anything "Gilmer"...........This is a cog belt system, been using this drive system for years on dry sump oil pumps and of course Superchargers................ Nascar also uses it for alternators and water pumps. If interested I can send you some names where we buy this stuff.

 

Cogged belt was what was used in the Vega/Astre/Monza 4 cylinders.

 

I did a quick search at Summit yesterday and was shocked by the prices of "serpentine kits". Like $1,200 and up. I may try to do something along the lines of a junkyard swap. I can think of a lot better ways to spend that kind of cash on this Jeep. Although it's getting harder to find rear wheel drive V6 cars up in the Carson City area.

 

Did you look at the Gilmer stuff?..............I'm sure Summit and Jeg's peddles that stuff also.

 

My experience with retro-fit serpentine belts hasn't been too good. The alignment has to be perfect if you want them to last and that can get difficult with a lot of non-stock accessories. V belts are much more forgiving. I just double belted the PPW with one belt getting close to a 180 degree wrap and so far so good. The hardest thing to find for my belting was a 3 groove water pump pulley with all grooves being the same diameter. I have no idea what it came off of but I had to machine a woopty-do adapter to make it work. I had ASP Racing machine a new 3 groove pulley to go on the new engine if I ever get it together-a lot more sanitary and it's going to give me another inch of fan space.

 

I checked out Gilmer type belts and pulleys at Summit but I didn't find anything I could use. They had pulleys for dry sump oil pumps and belt driven fuel pumps and a lot of super charger pulleys. I hear what you are saying, duffer, about alignment being difficult on a conversion.

 

Posi...............here is the guy I bought allot Gilmer Belt stuff from. Has all sorts of kits for anything that requires a drive belt ......check it out............http://www.jonesracingproducts.com/

 

Thanks for that link, Terry. I downloaded their catalog and will spend some time with it when I get some time. I'll probably call them and see what they can do for me . . . . . . . . . and if I can afford it. Haha I thought I was done with this Jeep, then I realized I still have some money left in my pocket.

 

Have you looked at front wheel drive 3800 engines?

 

No I haven't, Nick. I'm not familiar with the 3800. Is that a 3.8L? I like the concept of the Gilmer type belt, but I don't know if that conversion is financially available to me. I may be able to hit Pick and Pull next week over in Carson City and see what the junkyard has to offer.

 

John,
I'm curious why the interest in changing from the stock V-belt system in the first place. Is it to try and eliminate the belt squeal I heard from your power steering pump?

Don

 

Essentially, yes. I put a new pump on from PSC and got a couple of squeals out of it. I just replaced the belt and I'm hoping that does the trick. I haven't had a chance to run it with the tires aired down yet, so I don't know that the new belt cured the problem. The other thing is the 165 amp alt. for the Powerwelder likes to slip the belt too under load from the welder. The tech at Powerwelder told me that is common with the v-belt version of that amp. The Gilmer belt that tarry99 mentioned is a cog belt and I don't think you could make it slip if you tried. A serpentine would be next best after the Gilmer but more complicated to install, if it can even be done. In the long run it might be less expense to do a home brew ram assist like johneyboy did, but that doesn't help with the alternator.

 

Then it sounds like you need the Gilmer setup to handle the extra torque load of the welder alternator, and the PSC with the aired down 35s.

So, are you still planning another trip to the Springs again anytime soon? I'd like to do that again myself, maybe a trip down from the topside instead of running all the way from Loon. It seem everytime I try to run all the way through I trash another radiator. I have a nephew who has never had a Jeep experience who might like to go along.

Don

 

I am curious how you will be dealing with your OBA system. I remember seeing your build thread but don't remember what you used for a compressor.