2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS IB Trunk Build - RF Fi Infinity Pioneer XS Power MechMan SHCA Knu Gates ...

[azscott]

I've always wanted to try an IB set up, and your build log is making me want to even more! Nice build man!

[Sutliff]

I've always wanted to try an IB set up, and your build log is making me want to even more! Nice build man!

Then HOP TO IT!

... & thanks for your kind words, Sir.

[azscott]

I've always wanted to try an IB set up, and your build log is making me want to even more! Nice build man!

Then HOP TO IT!

... & thanks for your kind words, Sir.

I actually think that probably will be my next set up! I need to do some more reading to get a better understanding of them though before I hop into it!

[Sutliff]

I've always wanted to try an IB set up, and your build log is making me want to even more! Nice build man!

Then HOP TO IT!

... & thanks for your kind words, Sir.

I actually think that probably will be my next set up! I need to do some more reading to get a better understanding of them though before I hop into it!

Good deal. If you look through my log, I believe somewhere on pages 3-4 you will find a gentleman in Chicago named "ScottishBear" ... he is super duper knowledgeable when it comes to IBs & whatnot ... He has a bunch of 18's in a walled-off Chevy Malibu ... around the same years/body style (W-Body) as my Monte. Some insane shit.

Hit him up, ... he'll answer anything ya got to throw at 'em.

PS: I will likely be starting my rear BATT install, etc., tomorrow & Sunday & be taking lots-o-photos, so keep an eye out, ... I love any feedback I get.

[cc_audio]

Your belt setup is identical to my Bonneville's, and in that case you probably have a ton of belt slip on the alt. The 3800's have terrible stock belt wrap. You might want to consider a tensioner delete with a fixed pulley and a gates belt. You shouldn't have any slip after that. Voltage drop should not be an issue with what you're currently running.

[azscott]

I've always wanted to try an IB set up, and your build log is making me want to even more! Nice build man!

Then HOP TO IT!

... & thanks for your kind words, Sir.

I actually think that probably will be my next set up! I need to do some more reading to get a better understanding of them though before I hop into it!

Good deal. If you look through my log, I believe somewhere on pages 3-4 you will find a gentleman in Chicago named "ScottishBear" ... he is super duper knowledgeable when it comes to IBs & whatnot ... He has a bunch of 18's in a walled-off Chevy Malibu ... around the same years/body style (W-Body) as my Monte. Some insane shit.

Hit him up, ... he'll answer anything ya got to throw at 'em.

PS: I will likely be starting my rear BATT install, etc., tomorrow & Sunday & be taking lots-o-photos, so keep an eye out, ... I love any feedback I get.

I think I actually read through his build log today, I've been searching through the forum for IB set ups! I'll be watching for sure to see your progress!

[Sutliff]

Your belt setup is identical to my Bonneville's, and in that case you probably have a ton of belt slip on the alt. The 3800's have terrible stock belt wrap. You might want to consider a tensioner delete with a fixed pulley and a gates belt. You shouldn't have any slip after that. Voltage drop should not be an issue with what you're currently running.

Interesting, ... seriously ... cause I have been chasing this for over a year, & throwing money at it here & there, ... as you can see throughout my Log. I started with a shorter belt, like Mech said, but it was way too short at 1/2" shorter than OEM, ... so I put OEM back on, & went on with life ... back then with the 170A ALT.

But you say "tensioner delete"? How do the other accessories on the belt like that much constant pressure on them? Bearings/bushings are going to wear out real fast ... I mean in relation to normal. Well, ... How much tighter is your belt than say mine is ... if that is even a question that can be answered ... I know there is some slippage as when I really get into it (WOT) & let off, I can hear it squeal for a split second & I've always known the sound to be that.

Do you have any places - off-hand - that I can see where someone did this, or you, etc.? Obviously I am game to jump on anything that is reasonable & has a sensible theory behind it.

I look FWD to hearing back from you.

[Sutliff]

Today I started on my newest, & hopefully last, project with this here system ... Installation of a reserve BATT in my trunk.

If you have read through my Log, you will have seen that I have been battling voltage drop ... Better, bigger cabling, ... upgraded MechMan ALT, & now another XS Power BATT - a D975 - to go along with the D3400 that resides under the hood.

To begin with, the place that I basically have to mount the BATT is going to be above one of my mufflers ... it would be the same on either side, so I still had some pieces of the XS Power Heat Wrap kit that I bought for the D3400 ... & the biggest piece was absolutely spot-on to the footprint size of the D975 ... it just had a small cut in it ... a piece of duct tape took care of that ...

I grabbed a can of 3M spray adhesive that is minimally 12-13-years-old, & it still had some product in it, yet alone still had a clear tip (!), & mated the scrap piece to the bottom of the BATT in quick order ...

I measured across the top of the BATT & decided I would need 8 1/2" of some sort of bracing ... I grabbed some 2 1/2" -wide aluminum "bars" I had. Cut out said length, laid across top, made marks where to drill holes on each end, & drilled out 1/4" holes for bolts I will pick up tomorrow.

With no more hardware to help progress this anymore today, I took a few to use some elbow grease & polish up the aluminum bar with some metal polish ...

[cc_audio]

Your belt setup is identical to my Bonneville's, and in that case you probably have a ton of belt slip on the alt. The 3800's have terrible stock belt wrap. You might want to consider a tensioner delete with a fixed pulley and a gates belt. You shouldn't have any slip after that. Voltage drop should not be an issue with what you're currently running.

Interesting, ... seriously ... cause I have been chasing this for over a year, & throwing money at it here & there, ... as you can see throughout my Log. I started with a shorter belt, like Mech said, but it was way too short at 1/2" shorter than OEM, ... so I put OEM back on, & went on with life ... back then with the 170A ALT.

But you say "tensioner delete"? How do the other accessories on the belt like that much constant pressure on them? Bearings/bushings are going to wear out real fast ... I mean in relation to normal. Well, ... How much tighter is your belt than say mine is ... if that is even a question that can be answered ... I know there is some slippage as when I really get into it (WOT) & let off, I can hear it squeal for a split second & I've always known the sound to be that.

Do you have any places - off-hand - that I can see where someone did this, or you, etc.? Obviously I am game to jump on anything that is reasonable & has a sensible theory behind it.

I look FWD to hearing back from you.

I did the delete a few years ago on an 03-04ish Impala and it worked wonderful. Basically take apart the tensioner. But be careful it's quite difficult to get apart and when the spring lets go you'll have a heart attack. And the belt will wrap around it from behind/under the alt instead of from the front/top. We used a combination of washers and such to get the spacing down right, but then you just tighten it with a wrench as leverage ( like what you do to remove the belt currently) and then tighten down the bolt into the block. You'll have to use a sewing tape to wrap around all the pulleys to get an accurate length before you buy the belt. I'll be doing this later in the summer after I get my new alt. But I have access to machine shop so I'll make something a little bit cleaner with fixed adjustment. The only problem with reusing the tensioner was that it would loosen over time. Every 4 or 5 months he'd have to retighten the tensioner. As far as I know no bearing ever went out, and a lot of cars have fixed pullleys you just tighten down (in my Celica, the Alternator itself was the point of tension). The belt should have enough give in it, I wouldn't worry about the bearings. Unfortunately I don't have any pics of it but I will document when i do it to my Bonneville cause it is a problem.

I have seen where someone has drilled a hole through the bolt head on the end of the tensioner and added a super stiff spring to some kind of mount in the bottom of the motor. Gave the tensioner a little more tension I suppose. Not something I would do but might be an "easier" solution.

Bottom of the alt you can see the threaded adjustment on the alt. No spring tensioner at all.

[Sutliff]

I did the delete a few years ago on an 03-04ish Impala and it worked wonderful. Basically take apart the tensioner. But be careful it's quite difficult to get apart and when the spring lets go you'll have a heart attack. And the belt will wrap around it from behind/under the alt instead of from the front/top. We used a combination of washers and such to get the spacing down right, but then you just tighten it with a wrench as leverage ( like what you do to remove the belt currently) and then tighten down the bolt into the block. You'll have to use a sewing tape to wrap around all the pulleys to get an accurate length before you buy the belt. I'll be doing this later in the summer after I get my new alt. But I have access to machine shop so I'll make something a little bit cleaner with fixed adjustment. The only problem with reusing the tensioner was that it would loosen over time. Every 4 or 5 months he'd have to retighten the tensioner. As far as I know no bearing ever went out, and a lot of cars have fixed pullleys you just tighten down (in my Celica, the Alternator itself was the point of tension). The belt should have enough give in it, I wouldn't worry about the bearings. Unfortunately I don't have any pics of it but I will document when i do it to my Bonneville cause it is a problem.

I have seen where someone has drilled a hole through the bolt head on the end of the tensioner and added a super stiff spring to some kind of mount in the bottom of the motor. Gave the tensioner a little more tension I suppose. Not something I would do but might be an "easier" solution.

Bottom of the alt you can see the threaded adjustment on the alt. No spring tensioner at all.

Hmmm, ... Definitely interesting, & I am going to look into it now that you kindly gave me a thorough explanation of what you initially were describing, & I thank you ...

I want to add, & maybe you'll have some feedback on this advice I received ... I posted the general statement that you said about the 3800's "belt wrap" on a Monte Forum & Group I am part of on .com & on FB, & got a response from someone who said to try the following:

Get the tensioner puller & grooved idler pulley from a 1990 Chevrolet 1-Ton w/ a 7.4L (454 BBC). Each part is apparently just shy of 1/2" bigger than that of a stock 3.8L's pulleys. Along with the pulley changes, get a new Gates belt - STOCK length, & I should be all set ... or at least that is what worked for him in a similar situation.

For shits & giggles I plan to go over to AutoZone - or the like -, with my trusty caliper, & have them pull me down all four pieces ... both from the truck & the generation of my 3.8 ... & just see what the measurement differences are.

I have also heard, from day one, that I should get my mitts on a Gates - I think it might have even been in some of the paperwork I have gotten (twice) from MechMan.