Thread: Serpentine belt system swap

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I have a '66 Chevelle with a '72 350/350 Turbo combination that will be getting a rebuild and a 700R4 this winter. I will also be adding a factory TPI from an '86 Camaro to it. I want to put a serpentine belt system on it at the same time. I have a complete factory serpentine system from a '94 4.3L Blazer. Will it work? I know the 4.3L is basically an SB with the 2 rear cylinders wacked off but are the accessory holes on the front of the block and heads the same? I also know the serpentine system uses a reverse flow water pump. What do I do? Can I simply use a reverse flow pump? What about the cooling of the earlier 350 motor?
Thanks,
Brian

The water goes in the same direction no matter what belt system you use on those engines.

The serpentine belt system (long)waterpumps are made a kind of mirror like, so they pump the water in the same direction as the old (short)ones, despite the fact that the belt drives them in the opposite direction.

Excuse my bad english, by the way....

but u MUST make sure to use the reverse flow pump or ur mtr wont cool properly.....joe

"The serpentine belt system (long)waterpumps are made a kind of mirror like, so they pump the water in the same direction as the old (short)ones, despite the fact that the belt drives them in the opposite direction."

If that's true, then it wouldn't be reverse flow.

AND dont forget the fan blade has the opposite blade pitch. I made the mistake once when I converted a truck to serpentine. It cooled great at idle but, at 40 mph, it got hot. At 70mph it was cool. Finally, standing in front of the truck, I noticed that the air was blowing towards the grille!!!! Duh. At idle, the air still went across the radiator. At 40, the air coming in the grille cancelled the air being blown forward by the fan. At 70, the incoming air overcame the fan clutch. Took two days to figure it out.

mike in tucson

I've always thought there isn't any reversed cooling water flow on standard CSB?

It is reversed direction. And then we don't talk about the water flow direction, but the turning direction of the waterpump.

As long as the waterpump goes in the direction it is intended to, everything will be ok.

But reversed direction waterpumps of course need a reversed direction fan.

I've always thought there isn't any reversed cooling water flow on standard CSB?

i say...i agree with u on that,

It is reversed direction. And then we don't talk about the water flow direction, but the turning direction of the waterpump.

i say....far as i know a pump won't pump but one way, you cant turn it opposite from what it was made and expect it to pump.

As long as the waterpump goes in the direction it is intended to, everything will be ok.

i say.... yes

But reversed direction waterpumps of course need a reversed direction fan. [/B][/QUOTE]

i say..... yes

I believe that the chevy LT1 is the only small block to use a reverse flow water pump. All others use standard or reverse rotation pumps. Reverse rotation fans are also available as are reverse rotation fan clutchs.

I fabricated my own surpentine system as nothing standard would fit in the limited space. I am using a reverse rotation water pump and fan and fan clutch. I also had to mount the power steering pump in backwards and run it on the back side of the belt to keep it turning the correct direction.

Very nice set-up I must say Weeg.

Nice!
It certanly looks like you have knowledge about a couple of other things than waterpumps, too.....

Is that a Fat Man front suspension?

Yes, that is a Fatman Fabrications front clip for 53 studebaker. I also had to modify it so I could set the engine deeper and further back in the chassis than stock.

Dean

I've just purchased a stage III kit for my 34 roadster project.
I wanted a sway bar, too, but the guys at Fat Man said it was not neccessary on a car as light as mine.

Since I'm going to use a Jaguar rear axle, I will mount a sway bar in the front no matter what they say.
Is it a Fat Man sway bar you have on that front suspension, or is it a universal Mustang II sway bar purcased from somewhere else?

I'm hunting for a sway bar who is mounted at the rear of the suspension, since my 34 will be a highboy style hot rod.

Yes, the sway bar is from Fatmans. They also told me I did not need it, but after driving a friends with, and without one, I opted to install one.

Do you know if it's possible to mount that sway bar at the rear of the suspension?
Or will it interrupt with the oil tray on the engine?

Okay, I see that this is an old thread and it was "jacked" from it's original subject, but the question of whether reverse rotation equals reverse flow is relevant to a project I'm doing and I want to either buy the correct water pump for my standard flow sbc or scrap the plan to put the factory 88 camaro serpentine setup I have. Belt routing scheme has everything but the waterpump and fan turning engine direction. The fan and water pump turn opposite which logically would indicate that the pump would naturally flow the coolant in reverse.
After visiting both NAPA and Autozone, I returned without the question of FLOW DIRECTION answered, but the pumps for serpentine WERE marked "reverse rotation" in the parts catalogs.
I suspect that a "reverse rotation" pump is somehow modified so that it passes coolant from the radiator to the engine just as a normal rotation pump does.
This thread doesn't seen to have consensus on this. Does anybody know for sure what flow direction I can expect from a "reverse rotation" pump for an 88 Camaro?