How to Assemble the Front of a Small Block

Just thought I'd add a little side note here which is to check pulley alignment! I tossed a belt at high rpm (7,000) while racing the car and ended up overheating the engine. This is a common occurrence which is mostly due to pulley misalignment. If you've got things apart and are putting the pulleys back in place, it would be the perfect time to check the flanges with a straight edge to see if they are in line. You may not be able to see any misalignment just by doing a visual check. Lo-po combos can probably get a away with some misalignment but if you're revving things up, it's almost a guarantee you will toss a belt at the wrong time.

There are shims available to correct this problem.

Carry on!


I have noticed that some new pulleys seem to have too much runout (fore/aft wobble). I'm not sure if it's straight from the vendor that way or not, but I have two of them that look new and they wobble too much for my liking. I found an old one that is better - go figure...