Concept One Pulley Accessory Bracket System for FE Fords - What A Concept!

When you daydream about your car project sitting out in the garage, chances are you give little (if any) thought to the engine's brackets and pulleys. And you probably only give the subject passing consideration when you select a powerplant for your cruiser in the first place! But you're not alone. Like so many details surrounding any project, brackets and pulleys barely register on the radar for most folks, at least until they realize they need them.
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If you're lucky, your project's engine came with all the necessary accessory brackets and pulleys. Quite often, however, the addition of a non-stock option or two (like power steering or air conditioning) marks the beginning of the search for the right supporting parts. Sometimes the right brackets and pulleys can be scored in salvage yards or at swap meets, but other times an aftermarket setup is a better option. This is especially true if it's for the sake of appearance, but also if it achieves a specific mounting arrangement that better fits the engine compartment in question.

As you might expect, the aftermarket is overflowing with bracket and pulley options for Chevy V-8s, big-blocks and especially small-blocks. There's a pretty good selection for Ford small-blocks, too, but your chances are much more hit-and-miss when you start talking about non-Chevy big-blocks and other vintage mills.

When Kevin Grani decided on a Ford FE big-block in his project car, he figured he was stuck with the stock brackets. He also assumed he'd have to hunt for a compressor bracket and multi-belt pulleys to accommodate the air-conditioning addition he had planned. So imagine his surprise when he learned Concept One builds a polished aluminum pulley and bracket system for, among other things, the FE family (352, 390, 410, 427, and 428) of Ford V-8s.

The FE kit is one of many Concept One pulley systems available from Redd Machining & Manufacturing. Founded as a Corvette specialty shop in the early 1990s, the company began building pulley systems for the racing industry a few years later. Before long, Concept One serpentine belt pulley systems were being developed for all sorts of cars.

Besides the flash of billet aluminum, the company promotes its systems as easy to install, and it designs them to provide maximum water flow and electrical system charging at idle and slow speeds. Power steering kits employ the company's lightweight aluminum power steering pumps. The Concept One lineup now includes big- and small-block Chevy applications, small- and big-block (429-460) Fords, as well as the aforementioned FE Ford.

The FE pulley system was designed to fit in tight engine compartments with low hood clearances. In other words, the kit should fit just about anywhere an FE will, and Kevin tells us installing it is a simple and straightforward task, too. So take a look for yourself and see if you don't agree.