[Speargun]

Here's what I've done so far:

I ordered pulleys & brackets from CVF for my 455.

Problem #1 - Power steering pump was nowhere near lining up properly & took hours & hours to get it right.

Problem #2 - Alternator doesn't line up properly & belt rubs on PS pulley.




Problem #3 - I ordered an AC bracket for tall valve covers and received a bracket for short valve covers. An email got a new bracket on the way with return postage. Bracket install delayed a week.

Problem #4 - New bracket comes in, but it's not a Pontiac bracket. Another couple emails and the correct bracket is on the way. Bracket install delayed an additional two weeks.



Problem #5 - Wrong length bolt is sent with AC bracket. ....again!



Problem #6 - "Correct" AC bracket doesn't line correctly and belt rubs on the bracket. The ONLY way I see to correct the alignment is to modify all of the spacers and grind/drill a relief hole on the back side of the AC bracket to clear a water pump bolt so that the belt might line up correctly and not rub on the bracket.




So in summary:
NOT ONE SINGLE F*CKING PULLEY LINES UP CORRECTLY WITHOUT MODIFICATION!
Let me say that again:
NOT ONE SINGLE F*CKING PULLEY LINES UP CORRECTLY WITHOUT MODIFICATION!

Customer service has been pretty good so far, but the quality of the engineering on the alignment of these brackets absolutely sucks. They look like they just threw in some spacers they had laying around and said "that's good enough."

Here's a perfect example:
The instructions call for a 0.44" spacer in the top position and a 1.52" spacer in the lower position.


With the 1.52" spacer installed in the bottom the top has a 0.625" gap.??? Of course the spacer they send you is 0.44" so you have to add some washers.


Here the instructions call for a 4.25" long bolt in the bottom position and a 3.5" long bolt in the top position.


Here's a picture of the 3.5" bolt with the bottom (4.25") bolt & spacer installed.

As you can see in the picture, the 3.5" bolt isn't even long enough to reach the block, much less hold anything in place. This is simple math; if the bottom bolt needs to be 4.25" long and the bracket is the same distance away from the block at the top as it is at the bottom, then the top bolt should be the same length as the bottom bolt.

In this picture you can see the bolt head near the bottom has very little clearance from the AC bracket. In order to get the alignment correct, I'll have to drill a hole so the bracket doesn't rest on the head of the bolt. Of course if this doesn't work, the bracket will now have a hole in it & be non-returnable.


After all of the work I had to put into the PS bracket and all the work still to be done to the alternator & AC brackets, these brackets are not a good deal.
Had they bolted right up, like they should, they would be fine, but I don't want to spend money on a setup that I have to re-engineer because the manufacturer is to lazy to do it right the first time, or even correct it after they have been told about the issues.

STAY AWAY FROM CVFRACING.COM BRACKETS

...unless you enjoy having to modify the crap out of them to get them to fit.