Billet Tensioner

[87GNSteve]

Anyone interested in a:
Billet Aluminum Tensioner
Made in the USA
Lifetime Guaranty
Anodized Clear Pulley
Group Buy
Cost $450

I am generating interest since I contacted a company to see if they could make these. I have a car I am putting together and have no tensioner and aftermarket discontinued NOS ones are very costly and they are the same crap pot metal with weak alternator bolt hole. So I am doing this out of necessity and wondering if anyone else needs a high quality unit. I was able to borrow a new in the box tensioner to send to them. The producer said there will be a minimum required of 15 to produce these.

This is all the information i have right now will post updates as they come.

Here is a picture of one they produce for the Mustangs.(that is NOT the one for the GN)
(that is NOT the one for the GN) I repeat: (that is NOT the one for the GN)

 

[jpratt]

What is the time frame? I would be interested in a few weeks-month.

 

[noahzark]

Every damn part on these cars is outrageously priced. Seems like every single little or big part has some exotic European supercar tag with it. Just to make these cars half decent you need at least a 50k budget and that's just the beginning yet turn around and try and sell it and you will be lucky to see anywhere close to 50 cents on the dollar. This is a great looking piece and badly needed so there is a market but damn something needs to give in the economics of these cars sorry /rant off.Thanks.

Sent from my SGH-I317M using Tapatalk

 

[turboc87gn]

Ill buy one long as the price isn't retarded.... You think buick stuff is overpriced buy diesel truck parts.... I just spent $587 per injector plus $160 core for a fuel injector (not installed) on my 08 dodge ram 3500

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[3.8L V-8 eater]

That's a sweet looking piece they make for Stangs!! Sure you will get some interest for these even though it is not a cost effective replacement....

 

[Warp6]

noah - supply and demand. There aren't eleventy-billion of these cars running around to warrant an efficient/cheap production run of anything. Just comes with this territory. It does suck sometimes. I just came across a page I printed from Advance Auto back in 97 or 98. Rebuilt Powermaster for 87 Buick Grand National - $149 HA! I thought that was too expensive then!!

Steve, you are always on the leading edge of "must-have-not often-thought-of-necessities"! Once again, great work.

Did any of you see the gauge packages Steve came up with??

 

[87GNSteve]

What is the time frame? I would be interested in a few weeks-month.

Probably 4-6 weeks.

 

[CGASTON]

Nice piece. I maybe interested if the price is right.

Clint

 

[87GNSteve]

Just a little background I spend hours and hours online looking at catalogs and countless hours at three area junk yards looking for an off the shelf replacement that could be modified to fit these engines. Closest one was a tensioner from a 90's FWD 3800 which holds the alternator like the LC2 but the rest of the bracket was so far off, and that pot metal does not lend itself well to welding or cutting to retain strength.
It was either this or pay around $200 for a used one, or $350 for a new aftermarket one if you can find one.

 

[CGASTON]

One question to ask or know is if these are rebuildable? I think people would love that option.

Clint

 

[87GNSteve]

It has a lifetime warranty so if anything other than abuse/misuse causes a problem it is covered. The pulley will be billet also like shown in the picture.
I am sure if you wanted to service it yourself the parts could be obtained from the manufacturer. I am thinking the spring, pulley, bearing are really the only serviceable parts.

 

[CGASTON]

I would also agree wirh that

 

[Pronto]

Well, I've seen NOS ones for over $400. In another thread a member that works for Gates said they are not going to make them anymore. No one seems to have found a good way to replace the spring or adapt one from another vehicle. Sooner or later the used ones are going to fail. Same thing happened with MAFs but at least we have the Translator to use other MAFs. If they can be priced around $400 with a pulley count me in. Unless some miracle happens this might be the only choice for a new replacement. If one is mass produced it would probably be a china made pos anyway. Maybe you should contact Kirban and see if he's interested in selling them. I never was impressed with the cheap pot metal castings. So I did a little search and found the manufacturer. They definitely are impressive. Count me in for sure.

 

[psycho6cyl]

Woww sweet. Im interested. Will the r&d be done.or are we the guinea pigs? Thx for your intrest in.providing hard to.replace parts. X2 on.kirban..

 

[87GNSteve]

Your engine is basically a paper weight without a tensioner. I also researched into a manually adjustable tensioner that uses a screw adjuster similar to the after market LS1. But I came across these guys and the automatic is the way to go.To get these off the ground I will need at least 15 people to commit; I collect a deposit and then it gets sent in then the rest of the payment when they are done. It will then become a product line of the company.
They have actually progressed on designing already and will let me know some details in a week or so.

 

[Pronto]

PM me when your ready for a deposit.

 

[LEW_86]

I'm interested. This is a much needed part. If my tensioner breaks or fails again then an LS is being dropped in fast!

 

[87GNSteve]

I'm interested. This is a much needed part. If my tensioner breaks or fails again then an LS is being dropped in fast!

Think of this as a save the LC2 project.!

 

[MDavis]

Count me in!

 

[SAMBALLS1]

I'm in.