Best Serpentine Set up for 351W and Hydroboost

[Banjer Picker]

Tried to do a seach for this and couldnt really find any difinitive answers.

I was looking for the best doner vehicle for using a serp set up on a 351W while still retaining the use of my Hydroboost. I have a Hydroboost Unit and a Saganaw steering pump with dual returns. If I go with the Explorer or Mustang serps I am pretty locked in to using the stock steering pump right? How have you guys overcome this?

Thanks!

 

[lars]

Explorer: uses the late C3 pump- much better than older Ford power steering pumps. Works as well as a Saginaw. Add a return port to the stock Explorer reservoir for h-boost, or buy a sexy aftermarket reservoir with the second return port. Explorer setup is desirable because it's so short- plenty of room between fan and radiator, even with the Explorer clutch fan. Explorer stuff bolts to the 351, need a longer belt. Hood clearance can be an issue with the Explorer setup, but since you have a 351 already, presumably you've dealt with that.

Mustang: limited fan clearance, otherwise a good setup. Buy the Saginaw serpentine bracket from Wild Horses and keep your pump. You'll need a serpentine pulley for it, but otherwise it's a bolt-on.

I've had both, on a 5.0, with hydroboost. I prefer the Explorer setup because of the fan clearance issue.

 

[Broncobowsher]

Working on putting the Explorer stuff on the hydroboosted 351. Need a few more parts and a lot more time.

 

[Banjer Picker]

What years are good for the explorer parts?

 

[lonesouth]

1996-2000. Look for post 97 as they are a 'little' easier to get out of the donor. You will need to get the damper rebalanced, can be done for ~$75 to your door.

For a real deal, go get THIS from Bronco73 in Cape Coral and save yourself the hunt. Its a good deal at that price too, but you will be stealing it from me

 

[Bronchole]

So lets say that you want to do a 351W, you are running a H-boost and want to run a York compressor. You prefer to use an Explorer setup since you are running a Tarus fan. How do you get the York to fit in to the picture?

BTW, does anyone have a picture or 2 of the exact pile of parts you end up with when you have all the needed parts from the donor Explorer? Will all years of Explorer 5.0 serp belt systems work? What special tools do you need to take with you to pull this stuff off at the junk yard?

 

[ken75ranger]

If it were me I'd find a late 80's-90's efi van and take some measurements. I know the front dress is short but I'm not sure how short.

 

[screamin reel]

351W with Van Serp set up. I will also be running hydroboost but not that far along yet.

 

[COBlu77]

I did it with the PS/Ac bracket from a 87-92 van and used the alt/tensioner bracket from a early 90's F150. You will need to grind off a little of the outside edge on the van bracket to get it to clear a stock power steering box. The van bracket is the same for both 5.0 and 5.8l vans. Mine looks just like "screamin reel's", but you can see pics in my gallery.

I am using the a/c pump for on-board air, but you can use an ac eliminator pulley. I ran some string around the whole thing to get the approximate belt length and then some trial and error with a very aptient parts guy. The upper radiator hose is the tricky part.

 

[lars]

The van stuff works as well as the Mustang stuff and since it comes stock with a Saginaw pump it takes care of that problem, but it's long, like the Mustang setup, so a clutch fan won't fit- though if you are using an electric fan, that obviously doesn't matter. The Explorer front dress, the 94-95 Mustang and 94 (I think) T-bird front dress was shorter than any other serpentine setup that Ford put on a small block V-8.

I've seen one York pump on an Explorer front dress. You need hood clearance for it; it was on a custom bracket mounted where the stock compressor fits, and it was the smallest of the York models. Nice setup. You need to source the small size York compressor with a serpentine pulley to make it work.

 

[screamin reel]

Notched pump bracket and a better pic of the whole set up

 

[lars]

An explorer setup

 

[4x4x289]

I have the van setup with a 3g Alt and an Astro Van Pump. I like it.

I also remounted my radiator to the frame allowing me to utilized a stock serp pump and clutch fan.

 

[toddz69]

Will all years of Explorer 5.0 serp belt systems work? What special tools do you need to take with you to pull this stuff off at the junk yard?

All years will work. Special tool required at the junkyard is a puller to pull the damper assy off the crankshaft, unless it's already laying on the ground like the one I saw the other day. You'll also need tools to remove the fan/clutch assy from the water pump at some point but you don't necessarily need to separate them at the yard.

Todd Z.

 

[Banjer Picker]

What if you don't want the A/C comp in the set up?

What do you do if you don't want to have the A/C compressor in there? Looks like the van set up just had a pulley for a placeholder. Is that something you could do with the Explorer set up?

 

[lonesouth]

explorer will work without A/C or eliminator pulley.

 

[Banjer Picker]

So I would just use a much shorter serp belt and rock it like that?

 

[toddz69]

What do you do if you don't want to have the A/C compressor in there? Looks like the van set up just had a pulley for a placeholder. Is that something you could do with the Explorer set up?

Yes, leave the compressor off and run a shorter belt.

Todd Z.

 

[KyleQ]

Notched pump bracket and a better pic of the whole set up

Hmm - so someone running full hydro would not need to worry about grinding anything because there wouldn't be a steering gear in the way

If you were to make your own core support and run electric fans - could you just grab the stuff off a van/f150/mustang and not worry about clearance?

 

[Bronchole]

If you were to make your own core support and run electric fans - could you just grab the stuff off a van/f150/mustang and not worry about clearance?

This was something that I was receintly wondering about. My only interference issue is with the snout of the pulley on the water pump. If the snout height is the same on all of the systems than any of them would work for me.