WE TIGHTEN OUR BELTS

Greetings!

Gary's very nice '51 Chevy Sport Coupe is coming along very nicely in the shop here at Desert Classics LLC. The engine and transmission are in the chassis and the power steering hoses are hooked up to the pump. I have the throttle body mounted and I'm working toward starting the engine. There's still much to be done but the chore I've been consumed with is the fit of the accessories on the front of the engine. I'm using a kit from White Performance & Machine that includes the alternator, power steering pump, water pump, A/C compressor and the pulleys & belts & mounting hardware that go along with them. Unfortunately, the power steering pulley is too loose on the tapered shaft and wiggles drunkenly unless it's tightened so close that it rubs the pump. White Performance & Machine is sending a new one that should fix the problem. They outsource the pulleys so it should be no reflection on WP&M and their abilities as machinists. 

However, another problem presented itself. The power steering pump casting prevents the pump/reservoir from being able to swing up and down to allow for adjustment to tighten the V-belt. I removed the pulley and then the pump and used a die grinder to remove some of the pump casting a little bit at a time until it began to allow more travel. Not only did the pump casting get in the way, but the lip on the timing cover hit the aluminum adjusting arm nearest it and I was forced to grind away some of the timing cover lip too. I'd like to point out that I used a ProForm two-piece timing cover and it's possible that a stock timing cover wouldn't have interfered with the adjustment. 

After grinding some casting from the pump for clearance I still had an adjustment limitation. I was afraid of grinding away too much casting from the pump and ruining it by cutting into a fluid path, so I began grinding on the 90 degree, aluminum retaining bracket instead. It's a nicely made polished aluminum piece that I assume is made by White's, but it's just too bulky at the tip to allow for adequate belt adjustment. Perhaps you can see the corner I trimmed up in the bottom of the picture to make room for the pump to swing. After this modification the pump moved as it should and allowed me to tighten the fan belt.

I had the brilliant idea to hid some of the EFI components inside the dual snorkel air cleaner. The air filter element left plenty of room within the air cleaner box so I mounted the MAP sensor and the EGR solenoid inside. I plan to run the vacuum hoses out through the bottom of the air cleaner and take the electrical wires out through the outlet tube built into the side that originally sucked crankcase vapors into the air cleaner to be burned. Since I'm using the EGR valve and a PCV in the valve cover for that function, it leaves the side-exit tube free to let me route the wires back to the harness through it. I think it will clean up the top of the engine by not requiring them to be in plain view and help me present the engine as more of a 60s hot rod rather than a more modern computer-controlled, fuel injected unit. 

I cut the mounting bracket and re-welded it so it would fit inside nicely and you can see how much room there still is inside the air cleaner case. If you haven't already seen this trick then you can assume I invented it. 

I plan on painting the air cleaner black or red, or a combination of the two colors. For now I have it in primer after bead blasting it clean.

Thanks for looking in, and I hope you check back later. 

Doug