Re-route V-Belts

I've converted a 1987 4x2 5.8L F-150 to manual steering (long story). I can't think of a way to re-route the v-belt that used to connect to the PS pump. Currently the belt goes from the crank to the water pump then off to the PS pump. The PS pump pully is where the tension is adjusted. Any after market solutions or pulley magic I should be looking into?

Thanks for any ideas...

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"localhost" wrote: (1987 F-150 5.8L 4x2)

I converted to manual steering. I can't think of a way to re-route the v-belt that used to connect to the PS pump. Currently the belt goes from the crank to the water pump then off to the PS pump. The PS pump pully is where the tension is adjusted. Any aftermarket solutions or pulley magic I should look into? _______________________________________________

One way would be to install a double pulley on the alternator/smog pump/other accessory. This would put some extra load on the accessory shaft.

Another way would be to use the old PS pump as an idler. Plug the fluid ports, break off the impeller blades and leave some fluid in the reservoir for shaft lubrication. Or throw out the reservoir and lube the shaft occasionally.

Or look in auto salvage yards for a likely idler pulley and bolt it to the engine block with spacers to line it up with the existing pulleys.

Good luck.

Rodan.

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Rodan

or use a shorter belt and it will be trial and error to find the correct one, measure as best you can with a tape measure and start from there.

Whitelightning

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Whitelightning

To get you in close ballpark, use a string and route it the way you want it and tie it tight, mark the string with a sharpie pen/marker then untie it to get it off the truck. Re-tie it off the truck at your mark and then measure. Not sure how may inches to subtract for tensioning, but it will get you close anyway....

IYM

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<IYM>

No. There is no way to compensate for the wearing in and stretch of a belt through heat and cool cycles, without a tensioner, either spring loaded or manually adjusted.

Spdloader

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Spdloader

Don't you have another belt that goes from the water pump to the alternator and/or air conditioner?

These belts have tensioners on them, so you just need a longer belt that can go to the crank too.

I can't imagine you are going to enjoy driving your new Armstrong Steering system that is holding up a massive j(and very heavy) 351 ci engine.

In any case, the belt you have removed will requirek an idler to be installed at the location of the power steering pump to adjust the belt tension, OR the belt has to be replaced so that whatever is driven from the water pump is driven by the crank instead.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

The belt to the alternator is on a different plane than that of the water pump. I guess the solution would be to somehow push the water pump's pulley away from the block so that it lines up with the outer crank and alternator pulleys, then run a large belt between all three (barring any interference).

As to the steering, I had been driving the vehicle with my power steering disabled for ~1 year now. It was a bear. The PS system had failed for the second time and I was tired of dumping money into it. The change in ratios from the PS steering box to that of the manual is night and day. It really isn't bad. It takes more rotations of the steering wheel to get to the same place, but the effort isn't worth complaining about. Changing from my leaky, heavy, noisy, and oft broken PS system to a light-weight, quiet, simple and reliable manual steering box was a no-brainer. This may not apply to raised trucks, but it worked out fine for me at stock height.

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