[nUcLeArEnVoY]

Hey everybody!

So happy to be part of PY forums. I didn't see an introduction thread, so I feel kinda bad going right to a tech question without introducing myself.

I tried signing up for this forum awhile ago, but the "picture assembly" CAPTCHA wasn't working right for me. LOL

ANYWAY...

Car in question is a 1979 Trans Am 400/4-Speed; all original bracketry and pulleys.

My power steering pulley is crooked as heck and I'm getting belt-chirp above 3K RPM, and I think it's because the entire power steering pump assembly is crooked due to a spacer I'm missing on the rear adjustment bracket/plate. Also potentially contributing is that I have the same 15/32" width belts on the Alternator and PS drives, even though the PS pulley should be a bit wider. I have DAYCO 15485 and 17495 top-cog belts on order right now. But I still need to tackle this bracket spacer issue.

Here is a pic of the PS pump on my car mated to the lower corner of the rear adjustment bracket:


As you can see, the bracket is fastened right against the hex nut on the threaded stud, and is missing the spacer that should be there according to the service manual diagram shown here (it's item #17 on the diagram):


This missing spacer is obviously causing the entire PS pump to bow at a downward angle, which coincidentally is the same angle that my PS pulley is crooked toward, causing a pretty nasty belt misalignment. I understand that these spacers are often missing from these cars.

What I need to know is the correct LENGTH the spacer should be. ChicagoMuscleCarParts and AMK Products lists the spacers in their catalogs being 0.25" in length, but I need to know for sure. I have someone else telling me the spacer is 0.50" in length.

Can somebody verify the correct width of the spacer? I purchased a package of (5) 0.25" spacers with an outer diameter of 0.75" and inner diameter of 0.40"; if the proper length is .50", I can just stack two of them to make a half inch... but I still need to know what the spacer size SHOULD be.

Appreciate it!