It all started with a belt squeal, because the pulleys were misaligned.
How this happened is not clear.
The alignment is not as bad as it looked, but the compressor mount had to be removed and shimmed out at the bottom. This is a factory unit so why this has to be is ???
The compressor Mount with idler pulley is a design nightmare. It is not easy to Install it/ Remove it or tighten the adjustment nut
The other issue here were the mismatched pulleys
The crank pulley was a 6.375" and the WP pulley was 5.875". The WP pulley (#1558639) is Factory correct, but the correct crank pulley is NLA. The correct size for the crank is also 5.875". Using 2 different diameter pulleys on the WP cause noise and loss of power
This simplified diagram easily shows the disparity and the issue..
Since the Factory crank pulley (#1553596) is "Unobtanium" and no one I asked could redrill a crank pulley to mount on a water pump to achieve equilibrium, so an early thought was to avoid the WP Pulley and mount an idler to achieve this.
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At this juncture, a brief attempt was made to fabricate a standoff with the pulley above. It would not be difficult, but perhaps a ready made solution was available.
A visit to the Vintage Air website proved fruitful. they advertise a kit to mount A/C on a Stude truck, but digging deeper revealed they also have kits for any V8, with and without power steering.
Some days later the kit arrived and the bracket was a well made item. It fastened using one of the thermostat housing cover bolts and two of the power steering pump mount points
You have to remove the pump and the special shoulder bolts that hold the pump in alignment with the pulley. Then, insert a long 5/16 bolt threaded through some thick wall spacers to achieve the idler bracket position and the pump location.
The problem is that, doing this while holding the PS Pump, the spacers and the bolt when you only have 2 hands is somewhat of a stretch...
So I tossed the bolts and fabricated 2 long studs which get inserted first which makes it easy to put the spacerson, then the pump, etc.
So now the bracket is in place. Finding now that the adjustment arc of the idler is limited due to its location
Tried a smaller pulley from the shelf and this proved better but the bearing will need a replacement.
Arriving at a decent fit with the idler now introduces an interference with the belt and the upper radiator hose. This can be remedied by using a couple sections of silicone hose and changing the lie of the hose itself. Parts ordered...
Go on to the next episode - The $100.00 radiator hose
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