CVF WRAPTOR serpentine belt and accessory system..ANYONE HAVE ONE?

[biomedtechguy]

I'm asking mainly because my first experience with one of the TWO Wraptor systems we bought back in October of 2019, and it just so happens that the one for my wife's 65 GTO was installed first, the mechanic (and I by proxy) have had a number of problems to overcome. I think that CVF should have known about some of these and some could have been avoided by having some washers for proper spacing to align pulleys, better installation instructions, better "vendor/retailer training", and not just putting an appx $1,700 system out and letting the customer and/or mechanic deal with the difficulties that ensue.
My concern, other than generally airing my grievance on the forum for my own mental health benefits, is so I may be able to anticipate problems that any of you have encountered in installing a Wraptor system in any of your cars.
My mechanic, a different guy than is working on the GTO, tends to resolve problems or challenges in any installation, although if there are options he will consult with me. He has done a FANTASTIC job with all of the work he has done, and overcome any challenges in the installation of any of the multiple components he has installed. Still, with the sheer volume of work he has to do, I want to help in ANY way I can so the work is completed by the proposed date, and so he (or I) don't get frustrated with the job.
So if any of you have installed a WRAPTOR, please let me know what your experience was like, and in particular any problems that you may have had and how you overcame them. Also if any of you have installed another brand of serpentine belt and accessories system, what challenges did you encounter and how were they dealt with?
Don't get me wrong, I'm still a BIG proponent of the CVF product line and the company in general, and at the price point, their complete systems are a bargain compared to some other brands like March, etc.
As a little "gift" for reading my post, here's some eye candy...
I chose the "Black Diamond" finish because I have crinkle black and aluminum valve covers:

And I got the polished, clear ceramic coated system for the 421 Tripower in the GTO:

 

[Mike67]

I have the March Revolver and al I can say it was straight forward, no leftover bolts washers or spacers. The only thing I would have liked to have seen would be an automatic tensioner instead of the spreader bar. I'm really disappointed that its hidden from view...but I only paid a grand, I think it retails for $2800

 

[biomedtechguy]

Thanks Mike67, you got a heck of a discount. The Wraptor I ordered, because of what I had vs what else was being added, in addition to their "standard" or "baseline" system that includes a
140 Amp alternator, water pump, pulleys, covers, bracket, tensioner, are the: really nice AC compressor, and GM II style power steering pump (which works as is with the Borgeson power steering box).
So hopefully it will all line up nicely, and not have all of the problems I've had with the Pontiac.

 

[diesel_lv]

I have the March Revolver and al I can say it was straight forward, no leftover bolts washers or spacers. The only thing I would have liked to have seen would be an automatic tensioner instead of the spreader bar. I'm really disappointed that its hidden from view...but I only paid a grand, I think it retails for $2800

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How much space do you have between pullies n radiator for e-fans n shroud?

 

[diesel_lv]

I have a SD Concepts system. Comes with mounting hardware only. Therefore very reasonable price. You must purchase your own accessories, p/s pump from 95 grand Cherokee, 140 amp alternator from 95 Durango, a/c compressor from 95 Durango, belt tensioner from 6.5 chevy diesel and w/p that will work reverse rotation. Everything lines up perfectly. Only problem is space between pullies and radiator for e-fans n shroud. Huge pain in that area.

 

[Cranky]

I have the March Revolver and al I can say it was straight forward, no leftover bolts washers or spacers. The only thing I would have liked to have seen would be an automatic tensioner instead of the spreader bar. I'm really disappointed that its hidden from view...but I only paid a grand, I think it retails for $2800

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That's one of the things I don't like about those. Seems like they are expensive for what they do and then once in the car, you can see very little of it.

 

[Mike67]

How much space do you have between pullies n radiator for e-fans n shroud?

Maybe an inch 1/4, had to take the fan loose and hold it tight to the radiator when I was lowering the car down onto the K member. It barely cleared the ac pulley cover

 

[biomedtechguy]

How much space do you have between pullies n radiator for e-fans n shroud?

Well...
On the GTO that is a BIG problem! The Wraptor pushed everything forward, towards the radiator, and I don't know if or how much thicker the radiator is in the direction of the engine (It may not be any thicker than the stock radiator) but the stock fan was pushed too deep into the fan shroud to be effective, and that led to the dual electric fan option (which is kinda good in and of itself).
The GTO has a tiny bit more space than this, but I had to do without the tensioner decorative cover it was so tight:

On the Roadrunner, I hope to keep the factory clutch fan, but I also have no problem buying the Cold Case dual fan setup if it makes sense to do that, and I'll likely go that route when I'm ready to put the aluminum stroker in anyway, I'm just running out of money for this "round".

 

[Mike67]

That's one of the things I don't like about those. Seems like they are expensive for what they do and then once in the car, you can see very little of it.

Ya I got lucky and found a guy shutting his shop down and had this as a display. I like the benefits of the serp, but do wish it was a little more visable!!!

 

[biomedtechguy]

SD Concepts system

Great people there, and their cap and girdle system was the ONLY one I was going to use until I lost my mind and decided a Bill Mitchell aluminum block would "save me the money" I'd have to spend for reinforcing a block that would be running towards its upper limit of power output...
Anyway, without a doubt that SD Concepts serpentine belt and accessories system is BY FAR the least expensive way to achieve a serpentine setup, and if a component takes a poop, replacements are everywhere.
BUT
That setup "isn't as pretty" as some other choices, which brings us to:

That's one of the things I don't like about those. Seems like they are expensive for what they do and then once in the car, you can see very little of it.

That's funny because when I saw the pictures the mechanic sent of the 421 in the GTO, I was thinking the same thing.
There are quite a few other reasons and advantages to doing what we did.
From a functional, practical standpoint, the SD Concepts system would handle the functional, practical part of that, but my wife still likes the "pretty" the Wraptor brings to the table.

 

[Cranky]

Ya I got lucky and found a guy shutting his shop down and had this as a display. I like the benefits of the serp, but do wish it was a little more visable!!!

I've made serpentine pulleys before they were readily available in billet aluminum but seems like a system could easily be built from junk yard parts?

 

[biomedtechguy]

junk yard parts

 

[biomedtechguy]

Well I was in touch with the mechanic who has been doing the work on my wife's GTO, and yesterday he had told me about the Wraptor throwing the serpentine belt off after he left the car running for about half an hour. Long story short, he had to adjust the spacing of the bracket that moves all of the pulleys except for the water pump and crankshaft. On the second redo, he made the ANGLE and the spacing of the pulleys match, by removing some of the washers. THAT did the trick! He just sent me a video and it looks great. Also, the Cold Case radiator, Cold Case dual electric fan and shroud assembly, and the Dakota Digital fan control module are doing a great job so far of keeping it cool.

 

[biomedtechguy]

Here's the crappy video:

 

[sdconcepts]

hey guys, we are here to support to builders with our kits. also the kit posted above is our baseline kit. we have all the billet pulleys and a low mount ac version as well. unlike some of the serpentine belt companies that just cobble stuff together, we actually engineer the kits and test them in our own cars. if you guys are interested I can post some of the other kits we make. still working on getting our website up but our facebook page has all the kits as well

 

[biomedtechguy]

hey guys, we are here to support to builders with our kits. also the kit posted above is our baseline kit. we have all the billet pulleys and a low mount ac version as well. unlike some of the serpentine belt companies that just cobble stuff together, we actually engineer the kits and test them in our own cars. if you guys are interested I can post some of the other kits we make. still working on getting our website up but our facebook page has all the kits as well

And I have nothing but great things to say and post about all of your products!
I saw an opportunity to check off multiple boxes between American Powertrain and one other retail vendor, so that is one reason for the Wraptor.
Keep up the good work!

 

[biomedtechguy]

CVC Wraptor installation is well on its way on my Roadrunner! AC compressor still needs to be installed.

 

[Hemirunner]

That’s a really well thought out package. Goes together easily too.

 

[biomedtechguy]

That’s a really well thought out package. Goes together easily too.

I was surprised to get that picture sent to me. The mechanic had some problems getting the rear discs and calipers installed, which prompted me to call Quick Performance, where I got them. He had to give them some measurements and they are sending some spacers machined to the specifications I need, no charge. Basically the Wilwood parts are rather generic, but I have had great experience with QP, and they knew exactly what to do. The Wraptor progress is because that was next on the "ever more boxes being checked off" list.
The backwards "C" space on the left of the picture is where the Wraptor air conditioning compressor goes. The billet hardware and dress up makes it something to be seen rather than hidden.
I ordered my Vintage Air with compressor delete for that reason.

 

[biomedtechguy]

I decided to get a billet aluminum water pump neck that seals with an O-Ring.
I figured that would dress up what will be a focal point, and provide a great seal vs the flat gasket style.