Project vehicle builds don’t follow a linear path. You might start building a vehicle with the intention of keeping it relatively tame, but then decide to crank up the horsepower potential with a centrifugal supercharger. When you make a big change like this, it can impact things you weren’t thinking of like the engine’s accessory drive needs. That’s where ProCharger can help with its modular accessory drive kits for GM-based engines.

A Look At The Accessory Drive Kit

The modular accessory drive kits that ProCharger has developed provide users with flexible options based on their accessory needs. One of the base kits will come with the water pump pulley, crank pulley, alternator bracket and pulley, along with the serpentine belt and tensioner. The accessories and crank balancer are sold separately.

Now, you can upgrade the kit with a power steering bracket and pulley, A/C bracket and pulley cover, supercharger, intercooler, bypass valve, tubing, supercharger bracket, tensioner, and belt as well. This allows you to build the accessory drive kit you need based on your application. You don’t have to worry about engineering your own accessory drive solution, plus if you want to add a supercharger to your engine package the path has already been built.

In the past, supercharger companies just sold accessory drive parts with an entire supercharger kit. ProCharger saw an opportunity to address a need and that’s why it created these accessory drive kits. Engine swaps have always been popular, and standard accessory drives don’t always have provisions for a centrifugal supercharger. So, with one of these kits, you can make the accessory drive portion of an engine swap easier, plus you’ll also have the ability to add a blower if you want with minimal modifications.

ProCharger developed its accessory drive kits by listening to what its customers wanted and needed. One of the big requests was for the kits to have a compact design that kept everything close to the engine. Customers also wanted the kits to be universal so they could work with different applications. The kits also needed to look good. ProCharger created kits that work with LS, LT, small-block, and big-block GM-based engines. The kits will also work with high-horsepower applications that are making upwards of 1,200 horsepower.

Builds That Use The Accessory Drive Kit

You can talk about a product and its uses in a vacuum, but it really helps to see it being used to understand it better. Margie Shifman and Jacob Dietz have both built cars with different goals in mind that use ProCharger’s accessory drive kits.

Margie Shifman got the car bug from her husband Sergio, who built a killer rat rod-style 1931 Model A Ford. The Model A was chopped, channeled, and built to the max, so it got a lot of attention at shows. When it came time for Margie to get her own car, she picked up a 1970 El Camino that was recently restored, was all stock, and ready for some upgrades.

The goal was to turn the El Camino into a Pro Touring car that had a solid suspension package and an engine that made plenty of power. Margie wanted the car to be a daily driver in any weather condition, but also have the ability to turn heads when it was at shows. The suspension got a lot of attention and a tasteful set of 18-inch wheels were added to the car for good measure.

A stock 350 cubic-inch small block powered the El Camino, and that just wasn’t going to cut it for Margie. The engine was upgraded with an EFI system and a ProCharger. One of ProCharger’s accessory drive kits was used as part of the upgrade so the blower would easily bolt onto the current engine. This kit can still be used when Margie upgrades the engine later.

The 1969 Camaro that Jacob Dietz currently drives has been in his family for a long time. Jacob’s father purchased the car when he was in high school and drug it out of a field. It was rusty, crusty, and needed a lot of work. He put a lot of effort into the car to make it drivable so it could be his ride to school. Eventually, Jacob helped with upgrades to the car when he was young, and that led to his interest in cars.

Jacob and his father wanted to get the car ready for Hot Rod Power Tour, so they started making upgrades and repairs to the Camaro. The engine that Jacob’s dad installed in 1990 was on the list of things to get replaced. It didn’t need to be anything crazy, but Jacob wanted to make sure it still had plenty of power on tap.

The original accessory drive wasn’t ideal for Jacob’s plans, so when he found out about the ProCharger accessory drive kit, he was intrigued. Since the accessory drive kit was compact, Jacob knew it would fit. A supercharger wasn’t a part of the build plan, but Jacob liked the idea of having the ability to easily add one eventually, so it made sense to use the ProCharger kit. Well, as luck would have it Jacob scored an opportunity to pick up a ProCharger kit for the car. The decision to use the accessory drive kit paid off.

There’s nothing worse than painting yourself into a corner when you’re working on a project vehicle. ProCharger’s accessory drive kits can prevent that from happening thanks to their modular design and upgrade paths. You can learn more about the different kits ProCharger offers right here.