Did a search, Serpentine Belt Conversion.

[4x4dreamer]

I found a few posts about swapping to Serpentine System on a 6.2. Does anybody make a kit to do this? Or is it a "do it yourself" kind of thing? I need new belts and would like to just do the swap now...any help would be appreciated.

 

[imiceman44]

[ QUOTE ]
I found a few posts about swapping to Serpentine System on a 6.2. Does anybody make a kit to do this? Or is it a "do it yourself" kind of thing? I need new belts and would like to just do the swap now...any help would be appreciated.


[/ QUOTE ]

If I were you, I would stay with V belts.
I have a system with individual belts for each accessory, so if one goes everything else stays functionnal.
My AIR pump froze and roasted the belt one trip, I took it off and I am still driving till today.
/forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

 

[u2slow]

The easy way is to get the whole accessory drive of a 6.5L.

 

[arveetek]

I agree with IceMan.

I used to want to install a serpentine system on my '81...I think it really dresses up the engine bay and makes it look much neater. However, after talking with various guys, including a man from Australia who installs 6.2L's into Outback trucks, I came to the conclusion that the v-belt system is just as good with one added bonus: you can take one belt off and keep going.

My aunt and uncle used to own a '91 'burb. Their a/c compressor locked up while on a trip, and they had to have it towed....couldn't drive it with only one belt running everything. They had it fixed, drove down the road a ways, and it locked up again. Had to be towed again. If they had a v-belt system, they could have removed or simply cut the a/c belt off, and kept on going.

If you do want to go to a v-belt system, you'll need everything: alternator, ps pump, a/c compressor, probably a vacuum pump, and a water pump. The water pump runs backwards in a serpentine system. The later 6.5L's with serpentine use a belt-driven vacuum pump...don't know if they had any applications that didn't.

Casey

 

[4x4dreamer]

Okay, nuts to the serpentine belt...thanks for the input. Has anybody tried running "power pulleys" or something similar on a 6.2? Was there a gain to be had there?

 

[arveetek]

Power pulleys are really only good for race engines....what they do is make the pulleys larger, therefore slowing them down, so that the accessories turn slower, thereby causing less drag on the engine. I don't think they're good for everyday use, because it makes the alternator output lower, doesn't turn the a/c compressor as fast, etc, etc. Plus, on a low-rpm engine like the 6.2L (max. 3600 rpm), it wouldn't accomplish much anyway. Besides, I don't think they make any for our diesels.

Casey

 

[4x4dreamer]

Cool. Guess I'll have to sell a kidney and buy a turbo...oh well.

 

[Why me?]

Hi Guys, I did the surpantene conversane on one of my engines. It was a REAL PAIN! would not do it again. Besides the brackets, you have to put on a back-ward turning water pump, and a very expensive fan clucth. Stick with what you got!

 

[BlazerGuy]

Yeah but you would only have to carry one spare belt instead of 3-4. Serpentine belts are also much easier and faster to change since you just have to screw with the idler instead of loosening mutiple components, which also means that the belt can never get loose unless it stretches for some reason. Also because of the ribbed design(basically mutiple V's) they do not slip as easily. True they are a pain-in-the-ass to retrofit but if I were building a new powerplant or had the front clip off I would do it. And I guess some people like the idea that you can use the other belts on a V-belt system if one breaks, but why would you drive around sans spare parts especially if you(or in this case your aunt & uncle) going on a trip... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[arveetek]

Well, I would carry spare parts. My uncle, however, is not mechanically inclined enough to change a belt, even a serpentine. However, he could have cut the offending belt off, or just simply continued driving until it burned off, and he wouldn't have been stranded on the road.

I do think there are some positives about going to serpentine. I just don't think it's worth the expense or hassle to convert. If I had a newer 6.2L or 6.5L with a serpentine, I definitely wouldn't convert it to v-belts. I think they both work well.

Casey