I've got a '69 Pontiac 400, and am trying to reassemble the engine w/o a/c. The person actually doing the reassembly thinks that even w/o a/c, I'll need the compressor mounted in order to properly setup the belts on the pulleys. Can I just skip on that, and connect the belts between the crankshaft pulley, the fan, power steering and alternator? I don't want to reinstall the a/c at this time, if I can avoid it. thanks in advance!

I've got a '69 Pontiac 400, and am trying to reassemble the engine w/o a/c. The person actually doing the reassembly thinks that even w/o a/c, I'll need the compressor mounted in order to properly setup the belts on the pulleys. Can I just skip on that, and connect the belts between the crankshaft pulley, the fan, power steering and alternator? I don't want to reinstall the a/c at this time, if I can avoid it. thanks in advance!

You can leave the compressor off if you want. It has its own separate belt, it runs off of the crank using its own dedicated pulley (the innermost one). No other accesories are affected by it.

One thing: There are no 'big-block' Pontiacs. http://forums.performanceyears.com/g...icon_smile.gif

They all use the same size block with the exception of 'short deck' 265/301 engines. http://forums.performanceyears.com/g.../icon_wink.gif

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My wife says I never listen to her, at least that's what I think she said.

You must leave the compressor pulley on the crank so the other two belt pulley will be aligned correctly. If you did not have the compressor pulley like on a non AC car, the front two belt pulley was different depth.

"Big Block" Pontiacs......this has always confused me.
If the 265/301 is so different from the other blocks, why does the factory manual engine "mechanical" sections combine the 301 and 400 together in one section?
They are combined as follows in my '78 shop manual, along with the VIN code....
1) 231-A/350-X
2) 305-U/350-L
3) 301-Y and W/400-Z
4) 350-R/403-K

Also, what do you mean by "short deck"?

Damn, sounds like I got short-changed again!

Steve R

Steve, while the 301 block is physically different it still shares much with its bigger Pontiacc brothers. The reason your '78 manual groups the motors as it does has to do with GM using "corporate" motors in their cars of this era. The engines are grouped acorrding to the GM division that produced them.
1 is Buick
2 is Chevy
3 is Pontiac
4 is Olds
Deck height is the distance from the crank centerline to the surface where the heads mount, the deck. On the 301 this distance is shorter than the standard height on the 326-455.

If you want to leave the a/c pulley off, here is an Idea that I did on my car. Find another 4 bolt washer (the piece that goes on last on a pulley set up) it's used for reinforcement of the pulley bolt holes, but it also works well as a spacer to move pulleys out away from the hub........ I have one pulley on my racer, it turns the alternator and I used the single a/c pulley to get it done. I spaced the pulley away from the hub with one 4 bolt reinforcement. it's been that way roughly 7 years with no problems!!!!!!

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