Chevy Small Block Pulley System - Another Makeover

Photo by Dakota Wentz

How many of you watch TV? Probably just about every one of you. Now answer this: Who is watching all these makeover shows? For networks to keep adding more to the lineup, you'd think the demand has to be through the roof, right? There are more makeover shows on TV than there are movies these days-it's insane! What's even crazier is seeing the before and after pictures of some of those guinea pigs.

Makeovers are not new to us. After all, car makeovers are pretty much what most of us do on a regular basis, whether it's interior, exterior, engines, or air fresheners. We are constantly adding or taking away from our rides. When it comes to engines, one quick and easy way to have your Chevy powerplant stand out is to add a billet pulley system. It's a quick, easy, and relatively inexpensive way to make your motor pop when you sling open the hood.

When shopping around for a system, one company you're bound to run into is Concept One Pulley Systems. The Georgia-based manufacturer has a full lineup for big- and small-block applications, not to mention the common cure for whatever accessories you want to throw into the mix. For our task at hand, we have a small-block decked out with A/C, power steering, a Roots-style blower, and the bare necessities that a motor needs. In the end, Concept One had the application for us.

It's pretty obvious there's going to be some disassembling to make way for the new Concept One components. For our first mission, the crank pulley was removed and the new, polished Concept One 5-inch crank pulley was installed.

It's pretty obvious there's going to be some disassembling to make way for the new Concept

We had some room to play with-which is exactly what we did. We wanted to fill up as much room as possible so we could get that extra slap in the face when we opened the hood. We went with a Concept One wide kit. On a side note, Concept One does offer other kits for all sorts of applications. The wide kit is a two-belt one designed to fit cars with plenty of room on each side of the engine. The cool thing about it is that both the A/C compressor and alternator sit outside of the valve covers while keeping the accessories hung low enough for adequate hood clearance. The kit is designed for small- and big-block Chevrolet engines, and it works with aluminum, Vortec, and late-model cast-iron heads with accessory bolt holes. All the A/C kits are designed to fit the Sanden SD 508 compressors with serpentine pulleys, and the alternator kits fit most standard alternators with a 6.575-inch bolt pattern.

When it comes to compressors and alternators, some kits have an option to buy. Some come standard, but in the end, Concept One keeps both in stock for your ordering pleasure.

The kit came with this new, polished water pump. All we had to do was bolt up the 4.25-inch polished water pump pulley and install it.

The kit came with this new, polished water pump. All we had to do was bolt up the 4.25-inc

Each kit features Concept One's overdrive technology, which increases water flow and electrical system charging at idle and slow speeds. The kits are CNC-milled from 6061 billet aluminum and are available in raw or polished finishes. Each wide kit with power steering comes complete with an aluminum water pump, a power steering pump, a crank pulley, a water pump pulley, an alternator pulley, a power steering pulley, an alternator bracket and arm, a power steering bracket with a brace, an A/C compressor bracket and arm, an alternator fan, an alternator pulley cover, an A/C compressor cover, a remote power steering pump reservoir, Goodyear Gatorback belts, and chrome-plated hardware.

Concept One also offers several upgrade options, one being the mini-reservoir. Instead of going with a remote power steering pump reservoir, we went with the optional mini-reservoir. And one more thing: Before you get your pulleys and begin installing, take a picture beforehand, and then check out the aftermath. Hopefully, you too will get that "wowzers" slap in the face.

When installing the new water pump setup, we made sure to use Teflon on our bolts.

Always use the proper gear when required.

Here it's clear to see that the CNC-machined parts are top-notch. Before installing the Concept One alternator bracket and arm, some mild assembly is required. The arm needs to be fastened to the brackets.

Because we are dealing with an engine accessories install, our parts are going to see some hot temperatures. For that reason, we applied antiseize to our bolts. It may seem like tedious work, but it could save you a headache down the road.

The alternator setup bolted right up with no hassle. Concept One has gone to great lengths to make sure the install goes as smoothly and effortlessly as possible.

For those of you who are a little confused about Concept One's mini-reservoir power steering pump, here's a quick snapshot: The pump and reservoir is a standalone unit that can be used with stock pulleys or other aftermarket systems. (The piece can be used with a Concept One system, or it can be ordered separately and adapted to your current setup.) Each kit comes with an all-new Concept One aluminum power steering pump, a polished V-belt pulley, a polished block-mounted bracket, and Concept One's exclusive "Mini Reservoir," made from billet aluminum and polished to a show finish. The added cost? Less than a Benjamin.

The power steering pump with a mini-reservoir is a compact piece, as you can see. Before we installed it, there was some simple assembly required.

Once the pump was in place, the 4-inch pulley was bolted to it.

With the pump in place, it was time to plumb it. Concept One doesn't provide prefabbed hoses due to their many different configurations. It does offer a do-it-yourself kit, or many local parts stores can make lines for you.

On the opposite side of the motor, we began rigging the A/C setup. First, the A/C bracket needed to be installed to the block.

We used the proper Sanden compressor unit. To make ourselves feel special, we got hooked up with this polished unit to seal the deal. The compressor bolts to the bracket and the billet arm.