Help!
I have a 1979 B300 with a 2 bbl 360 engine. I want to upgrade the stock
65A single-groove pulley alternator to a high-amp double-pulley alternator, and also to upgrade the old York single-groove pulley A/C compressor to a more compact and modern model that has a double pulley.I'm disappointed that I cannot find anything about belt strategies online after considerable searching!
The current belt layout with the single-groove alternator pulley is thus:
INNERMOST: Crank, Alternator, Water pump MIDDLE: Crank, Water pump, PS pump, AIR pump OUTERMOST: Crank, A/C, Idler pulley
My current thinking is that my new layout will involve (a) eliminating the A/C idler pulley completely, and (b) keeping my current 3-groove crank pulley - and that the new arrangement will end up thus:
INNERMOST: Crank, Alternator, A/C, Water pump MIDDLE: Crank, Alternator, A/C, Water pump OUTERMOST: Crank, PS pump, AIR pump
In this arrangement, the double-belt path would be tensioned by a very nice billet alternator tensioner I've bought, and the PS and AIR pump belt tensioned by the adjustment of the PS pump.
QUESTION 1: Does anyone have any diagrams or pictures of factory belt layouts for this application?
QUESTION 2: Does my plan make sense? Does it match the arrangement of models that shipped stock with dual-pulley alternators? In other words, do dual-pulley belt layouts drive off of the same three-groove crank pulleys from the innermost two grooves?
QUESTION 3: Assuming this plan makes sense, when shifting the PS and AIR pumps outwards to the outermost pulley slot, is it better to (a) find appropriate stock brackets at the junkyard, (b) make shims as required, or (c) find alternate pulleys with the required alignment, or (d) otherwise?
Thanks in advance for any useful feedback!
-- Bob