The underhood area on our '65 Mercury Comet is coming along, but the engine's front accessory drive is a pedestrian-looking affair with its discount rebuilt alternator, black stamped-steel pulleys, and V-belt drive. On this restomod racer, we're interested in having form following function and decided that a more modern serpentine accessory drive would be a great and reliable way to dress-up our 393 Windsor engine.
With serpentine drive conversion equipment from Concept One, we were able to accomplish just that. The Concept One hardware is made of aircraft-grade 6061 billet aluminum, and is available either in a machined or polished finish. It will add great visual appeal and single-belt simplicity to the front dress of any Ford short-deck or Windsor engine. Concept One offers everything needed to complete a single-belt serpentine drive conversion successfully. This equipment is also a great way to go if you're setting up a new engine and don't have any pulleys or other front dress hardware to transfer over.
The serpentine drive conversion calls for a reverse-rotation water pump and a four-hole harmonic balancer. For our early Windsor engine, the harmonic balancer required would need to have the early style 28-ounce balance, and yet be equipped with the late-model four-hole mounting configuration for the accessory drive pulley. Doing a serpentine accessory drive conversion on your vintage Ford is a "one call" project since Concept One can provide the correct parts for your conversion. They did so for our project with a new Ford water pump and balancer. A brand-new, polished, 80-amp Power Master alternator was also furnished, and it will complement the rest of the installation nicely. We were pleasantly surprised at the quality and excellent fit of the new Concept One hardware.
Let's look in during the installation of the equipment and see just what was involved.
Here is the Concept One 351...
Here is the Concept One 351 Ford serpentine tensioner kit. You'll need this for every installation no matter what configuration your car has. Our car has just an alternator to turn, but your application may require provisions for other things, such as air conditioning or power steering.
This photo shows the Concept...
This photo shows the Concept One alternator installation kit. Made from 6061 billet aluminum, the brackets are 11/42-inch thick. The machined alternator fan is a must-use item to complete the look of the installed kit. The tensioner and alternator kits combined cost $475 for the machined finish and $625 for polished. Prices vary according to how many accessories are in your car's system. ours is as simple as it gets using water pump and alternator only.
Our replacement water pump...
Our replacement water pump (PN M-8501-C50) will be this Ford reverse-rotation unit. The pump will set you back $48.95. The Ford harmonic balancer (PN M-6316-K351) has the combined characteristics of balance weight and the pulley mounting bolt pattern we're after. The balancer comes in at $69.95. The great looking Powermaster alternator generates 80-amps at cruise and costs $175.
Here's the underhood situation...
Here's the underhood situation on our '65 Mercury Comet 404. The big boy 393 Windsor could use a little lift in the looks department.
After disconnecting the battery...
After disconnecting the battery and removing the V-belt, all electrical connections to the alternator were disconnected; then the alternator is removed.
After draining the cooling...
After draining the cooling system, we disconnected the coolant hose connections to the water pump and removed all fasteners holding the water pump onto the timing cover. The water pump with its pulley still attached was then pulled away from the timing cover. The old gasket material was scraped away at this time as well.
Down on the face of the balancer,...
Down on the face of the balancer, the old three-bolt drive pulley is removed. You'll need these three holes-used by the pulley fasteners-to install the balancer removal tool. You can't remove the balancer with the pulley on.
We removed the radiator since...
We removed the radiator since it would have been in the way of the harmonic balancer puller. It was sent out to a radiator shop to have the lower hose fitting relocated to the driver side. This is necessary on a stock-style radiator to accommodate the reverse-rotation water pump. If you're already running a driver-side exit water pump, you have nothing to worry about. The balancer removal tool is shown here installed onto the old balancer and ready to remove it.
Here, the new Ford Racing...
Here, the new Ford Racing aluminum water pump is installed. It requires an '86-'93 Mustang timing cover (PN M-6059-D351). Because our engine already has an '86-'93 timing cover and side-mounted dipstick, we were ready to go. Those with early style front sump pans will need to modify the late-model cover to accept the front-mounted dipstick.
All fasteners for the new...
All fasteners for the new serpentine drive equipment are Allen head. Here, the new main drive pulley goes into place using a large Allen wrench to drive the fastener home.
The next part to be added...
The next part to be added is the water pump pulley, shown here being attached to the pump flange. The fasteners have a rounded and polished head for a finished appearance.
To begin the tensioner attachment,...
To begin the tensioner attachment, this billet aluminum plate is fit with three bolts. Two are 31/48 inch and the third is 71/416 inch.
Next, three spacers of equal...
Next, three spacers of equal length are placed over the bolts, and the whole assembly is installed onto the front of the passenger (right) side cylinder head. The Allen-headed bolts recede into the countersunk holes, leaving a flat surface on which to mount the tensioner assembly. Use antiseize compound on any bolts going into aluminum here.
Two Allen-headed cap screws...
Two Allen-headed cap screws go through the tensioner base and attach it to the billet plate. Here, the cap screws are tightened up using an Allen wrench.
Turning our attention to the...
Turning our attention to the other side of the engine, we begin the alternator installation in the same way. A billet mounting platform is created using spacers and Allen-headed cap screws.
Three bolts run through the...
Three bolts run through the alternator's mounting bracket. Two go through the billet spacer and into the cylinder head, and the third is used to attach and support the alternator between the bracket and cylinder head.
Before our Powermaster alternator...
Before our Powermaster alternator can be mounted into position, we want to change over to the machined alternator fan provided by Concept One. Using a socket, the alternator pulley's retaining nut is removed.
The Concept One alternator...
The Concept One alternator fan is installed along with its aluminum pulley. Using the original nut, the fan is secured. Later, a billet aluminum plug will adorn the alternator pulley face.
With the prepared alternator...
With the prepared alternator held in position, the third alternator bracket bolt is installed into position.
Since adjustment at the alternator...
Since adjustment at the alternator is no longer necessary, the unit is hard-mounted in an unmovable position. Belt tension is regulated automatically at the tensioner pulley.
This comprehensive instruction...
This comprehensive instruction sheet will guide you through the whole installation process. Here, we refer to it for the correct routing of the serpentine belt.
The belt is easy to install....
The belt is easy to install. Just lay it into the grooves on each pulley according to the diagram in the instructions, and using a socket or wrench, collapse the tensioner pulley arm enough to allow the belt to fit over the tensioner pulley and then release the tension.
As a finishing touch, the...
As a finishing touch, the billet end cap is added to our alternator's pulley face. Our new Concept One serpentine front dress is a cool and smooth running setup that looks great on the front of our Windsor engine. The single-belt system is a great upgrade for cars with multiple drivebelts, allowing simple belt changes, or, as mentioned earlier, if you're installing a fresh late-model engine without any front accessories, the Concept One system is a perfect way to get everything you need.