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Serpentine conversion

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Old Apr 28, 2019 | 01:44 PM
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From: Collinsville, Oklahoma
Car: 85 Camaro
Engine: Cadillac 500
Transmission: TH400
Axle/Gears: 9 bolt
Serpentine conversion

I'm sure this has been beat to death but I can't seem to get the search to cooperate with me in finding the right threads.
I want to know which vehicle(s) I can get the serpentine set up off of that with my 85 trans am. I have most of the accessory drive off an 90 suburban, but I don't want to track down the missing parts if it won't work. Thanks in advance for any insight!
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Old Apr 28, 2019 | 01:53 PM
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Re: Serpentine conversion

The truck setups aren't the same. They sorta look the same, but they're not. You're pretty much stuck with GM RWD cars from the 88-96'ish era. That means Camaro, Firebird, Caprice, Oldsmobuick and Cadillac big body. You might want to look at some of the cars with the 4.3 V6 for something that might work, but I'm not sure if they're the same as the V8 car setup.
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Old Apr 30, 2019 | 12:26 PM
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From: Collinsville, Oklahoma
Car: 85 Camaro
Engine: Cadillac 500
Transmission: TH400
Axle/Gears: 9 bolt
Re: Serpentine conversion

In that case, would I be better off to buy the setup from an fbody? There was one on eBay for around $300 the other day.
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Old Apr 30, 2019 | 01:25 PM
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Re: Serpentine conversion

If you can't find a "good" deal on a used setup ($300 ain't bad if it's all there), you might consider the GM Performance Parts serpentine setup (GM #12497697). It's a bit expensive, but you're getting all new parts, all the nuts and bolts, everything you need to the smallest brace. Should be available from Jegs, Summit, any of the usual GM dealers, or your local GM dealer if you want to pay list price. Speaking from personal experience, some of the bolts are unique and hard to track down, and various braces, etc are typically missing from used sets. If you can, try to find a donor car so you can take EVERYTHING retaining and supporting the brackets to the engine. It'll save you a lot of time.

I'll try to attach a tutorial from my notes (not my work) and the GM instructions (also stolen) to this message...
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File Type: pdf
ThirdGenSerpentineConversion.pdf (990.8 KB, 168 views)

Last edited by Drew; Apr 30, 2019 at 01:30 PM.
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Old Apr 30, 2019 | 01:26 PM
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Re: Serpentine conversion

One more try...

Just one more note... The 88 setup is a bit unique. 89-92 are all pretty much the same. 88 being the first year, used different nuts and bolts, different support braces, blah blah. The 89-92 set is a little less complicated and more common.
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Old Apr 30, 2019 | 01:52 PM
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From: Collinsville, Oklahoma
Car: 85 Camaro
Engine: Cadillac 500
Transmission: TH400
Axle/Gears: 9 bolt
Re: Serpentine conversion

I'm really hoping to avoid the gmpp route as that really kills the budget nature that I'm trying to keep with this project! But thanks for the info! I will keep and eye out for a suitable car to hit the pull-a-part yard near me.
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