[chiphead]

What are numbers off of the crank, WP and PS pump pulleys? What timing cover and balancer? Eyeballing will only get you so far. The parts have to be of compatible years or you're whizzing in the wind. Ive got a set of the RARE billet pulleys on my engine and so far, no belt noises *knock on wood*

BTW, does anybody make a good PS pump? Mine is leaking.

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by Schurkey

PICTURES do not prove good belt alignment. I guess they can prove poor alignment if the alignment is bad enough.

A straightedge (actual machined, or even a fairly-straight length of bar-stock) shows belt alignment pretty well, IF (big IF) you check alignment from the drive pulley to the driven pulley, AND THEN from the driven pulley back to the drive pulley. Checking in one direction is NOT good enough, and you'll need to check from the top of each pulley pair, and the bottom of each pulley pair. Yeah, it takes multiple measurements to account for twist in two planes, plus setback of one pulley in relation to another. AND you have to account for the thickness of the front of the pulleys--if one pulley has the belt riding farther to the rear (thicker front face) than the other, you'd need to add/subtract the difference in pulley thickness from your indicated alignment.

It's a 3-D world, the alignment has to be correct in three planes.

Crappy '70s-and-earlier OEM brackets are known for flex. Eventually they wised-up and started to use heavier castings, and even made the accessory holder (alt mount, PS pump mount, etc.) as part of the engine front cover.

When tensioning the belt, use a "Krikit". #I for V-belts, #II for serpentine (V-ribbed) belts. Gates, Dayco, and others sell the same products in different colors of molded-plastic. Prices vary. I got mine at NAPA.
#I
https://www.amazon.com/Gates-91107-B...=3JD86E4ZPMJOU

#II
https://www.amazon.com/Gates-91132-B...=3JD86E4ZPMJOU

Another example of why I enjoy these forums. I have been replacing belts for over 50 years, thousands of them. I had never seen or heard of a Kriket gauge until this post by Schurkey. I have used all kinds of the big clunky factory tension gauges that are nearly impossible to fit in FWD vehicles. 2 new tools to order tomorrow! Thanks Schurkey.

[lust4speed]

The front pulleys are made for a wider belt, and if the belt rides too deep in the wider grooves it could ride on the bottom flat of the pulley. Without getting specific on belt numbers, mine takes a Gates XL 25 7xxx belt for alternator and the wider XL 25 9xxx for the power steering. I also see a slight cocking of the PS pump pulley in your photos.

Running the one belt deeper in the pulleys results in the belt riding lower and at a different diameter, and that makes the belts fight each other around crank and water pump pulleys and definitely shortens the life of the belts.

[dataway]

I've had a Kriket for a while ... my results weren't great. Seemed to leave the belts awful loose ... but there is definitely a learning curve with the tool. Kind of thing you need to find someone that really knows how to use one well and watch them.

[OCMDGTO]

X3 pulley alignment with a straight edge and deep groove alt belt solved it for me

[rohrt]

Originally Posted by hgerhardt

Notice how much deeper your PS belt is in the grooves than the alternator belt? You need to get a wider belt for the PS so that the top of the belt is even with the pulley. I was fighting that same problem with my '66 GTO (same brackets as you) and solved it with a wider belt. Learn how to decipher belt part numbers and get one with the same length but next size up on width. See my pics below...those were to show off the radiator, but show the belts pretty well too.

This

I used a 15mm and 17mm belts. I was fighting jumping belts and horrible squeal.

[Greg Reid]

I drove my car for years with the belts misaligned. Never threw a belt and I only found out because I went to replace the PS belt and it wouldn't fit.
I was baffled until I figured out that someone had altered a Chevy wp pulley to fit the stud pattern on my Pontiac pump (elongated the holes). When l finally got the right pulley, everything lined up.
So, whoever mentioned making sure that you have the correct pulley part numbers that match each other and your application is right.
The part numbers are in the Zazarine restoration book.
I went through several wrong pulleys until I figured that out. I think it started when someone replaced the '68 pump with the later 11 bolt pump and found out that the original pulley no longer lined up. Instead of getting the correct pulley they altered the Chevy pulley and called it good enough.

[Sirrotica]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned it, but there are 2 lengths of water pumps, could be the water pump is incorrect for the engine pulley setup?

I have also had mismatched brackets/pulleys that needed 3 flat washers spacers to bring everything in to alignment.

To check I use a piece of 3/8" rod to lay into one pulley and see if he alignment is correct with the adjoining pulley when I run into possible pulley misalignment with V belts.

When the setup is correct you won't be having belt troubles, I ran power steering on all my dirt track cars, at high RPM, every lap, for years without any P/S belt problems.

[Half-Inch Stud]

...68LeMans462 has left the Thread since...yesterday afternoon.

[Verdoro 68]

Well, this thread was useful for me as it got me thinking about the belts on my car. When I got my new build fired up recently I was greeted by a lot of squealing. Looking at the power steering pump, it had the wrong width belt as it was sitting way down in the pulley. Not quite as bad on the alternator, but not optimal.

Did a little research and ended up with a Gates 7495 for the alternator and a 9530 for the power steering. They made my old belts look like rubber bands and fit the pulleys so much better! The A/C compressor will get a 9590 when I get that reinstalled. Hopefully these quiet things down. Not a fan of the printing on the belt so I may have to do something about that.

[nUcLeArEnVoY]

Also, I'm pretty sure the PS pump belt should actually be just a bit wider than the alternator belt. Alternator is 15mm and PS pump is 17mm.

Make sure all your spacers are in place, too. Sometimes they're missing, which can offset pulley alignment.

[Tom Vaught]

Looking at the Fan Blade Location vs the radiator cooling shroud, it appears that you have
virtually no clearance with those parts.

Also as many said the belt alignment is way, way off.

Tom V.

[AG]

I was throwing my alt belt on my race car for a long time and once they fly off they are no good. I got a deep groove Ali pulley and lined it up perfectly with a straight edge coming off my crank pulley and have never thrown one after. I had to use some thin brass sheet to shim it and get it perfect.

[Greg Reid]

I wound up using that same belt on my power steering. I went through a long, and money wasting, process of getting belt alignment also. Ended up being a case of the wrong water pump pulley. I have two wrong water pump pulleys here that I bought thinking that they were correct.
Pontiac pulley-land is a tangled web!
Honestly, I don't feel confident saying that yours is misaligned now from that photo. I could see it in the earlier pics on this thread from the O.P.