Vintage Air Meets Late-Model Power
With more and more LS powerplants making it in between the framerails of our favorite A-, B-, F-, and X-body musclecars comes the availability of items that we just can't live without. LS engines are getting more affordable, and it isn't hard to source one through various salvage yards and message boards. Besides, if you're lucky enough to have a project car sitting around, you are in the game for a sick ride with all the modern-day conveniences.
We all love power steering and air conditioning. The problem, however, arises when trying to get all those late-model components into earlier-vintage vehicles, making them fit not only in your budget, but underneath the hood as well. This is where Vintage Air steps in: The company now offers a complete system for your LS powerplant. Similar to the Front Runner system for conventional motors, it utilizes a single belt and takes advantage of a factory-like tensioner to help keep the belt in place. One of its biggest advantages is that it's extremely compact and makes engine swaps into older street machines easier than ever.
More importantly, every system is sold as a total package and features Vintage Air's exclusive, machined, truss-type mounting bracket, high-performance water pump, and power steering pump; an SD7 compressor; a 140-amp alternator; optimized-ratio aluminum pulleys; all polished stainless ARP hardware; an ATI harmonic balancer; and a Dayco serpentine belt.
Other than requiring a pulley installer, we were able to install the Front Runner system with minimal hand tools from start to finish in a matter of hours. Follow along as we showcase just how easy it is to install one for your own LS-powered street machine.
Quick Notes
What we did
Added a Front Runner system to an LS mill
Bottom line
We get A/C, water, and steering pumping in one compact kit
With the front of the motor...
With the front of the motor bare, we installed the six 8mm studs and the gasket for the water pump into the front of the block by hand.
You can toss the old water...
You can toss the old water pump because every Front Runner system includes a new one. With the studs and the gasket firmly set, we could go ahead and slide on the new unit.
The side bracket was installed...
The side bracket was installed next. Since we're using an iron LQ9 truck block, unlike its aluminum counterpart, there's only one fastening point for the support bracket at this stage of the build. Some of these other holes (threaded and nonthreaded) will be utilized later in the kit. We then fastened the 10mm 12-points with a 3/8-inch washer.
Next we pressed the Front...
Next we pressed the Front Runner main bracket assembly onto the front of the block. This main bracket holds the alternator, and the A/C compressor will hang off of this as well. With the A/C cradle facing up and toward the passenger side, we slid the main bracket onto the studs and fastened them down using one 10mm 12-point bolt with a 3/8-inch AN washer (with aluminum spacer) and six 6mm nuts with six 5/16-inch flat washers.
Getting It To Fit It's fair...
Getting It To Fit
It's fair to mention that the standard LS manifold will not fit the LQ9 iron block while running the factory alternator and power steering pump assembly...
...Here you can see that the...
...Here you can see that the throttle body collides with the alternator bracket and creates a gap between the intake side of the head and the bottom of the manifold ports. The Vintage Air Front Runner system will provide the clearances we need.
The alternator was a cinch...
The alternator was a cinch to install, using only two bolts to get it fastened down. The 3/8-inch 12-point bolted through the front of the alternator to the bracket while the other 8mm 12-point fastened up top through the back of the bracket.
Now for the real meat and...
Now for the real meat and cheese: Installing the A/C compressor. This portion of the build required the use of two supplied aluminum spacers and two 5/16-inch 12-point bolts with 5/16-inch Nyloc nuts and washers. The ears of the compressor contain sliding bushings that, once mounted, are drawn in and clamp once the bracket is compressed.
We made sure the water pump...
We made sure the water pump pulley was in the correct position, then slid it on with four 5/16-inch 12-point bolts and four 5/16-inch AN flat washers to fasten it down. We then torqued it down to 22 ft-lb.
Since the power steering pulley...
Since the power steering pulley does not come assembled on the pump, we had to use a pulley installer. Once the pulley was pressed onto the pump we could install it onto the support bracket. From there we used two 5/16-inch 12-point bolts with two 5/16-inch AN flat washers.
We threw the crank pulley...
We threw the crank pulley on the ATI front balancer. Using the supplied 3/8-inch AN flat washers and three 3/8-inch 12-point bolts, we torqued it all down to 25 ft-lb.
We installed the supplied...
We installed the supplied dowel pin into the main bracket assembly. From there we located the pinhole and installed the tensioner spacer. We then aligned the tensioner and tensioner bracket on the main bracket using a 3/8-inch 12-point bolt and torqued it down to 37 ft-lb.
With the belt tensioner securely...
With the belt tensioner securely fastened, we could begin to wrap the belt. Our kit came with a 66-inch belt because it was ordered with power steering. Using a 1/2-inch socket, we released the tension, wrapped the serpentine belt, and lined up the grooves.
Not only will this Front Runner...
Not only will this Front Runner system allow for a completed look, it will provide more underhood clearance for other accessories. We like the fact that this kit really cleans up the front end of the motor and adds the modern-day amenities of A/C and power steering
| Sources |
Vintage Air
800.862.6658
vintageair.com | |