From the August, 2011 issue of Super Chevy / By Steven Rupp / Photography by The Author
With the almost insane popularity of GM's LS-based engines, many companies have stepped forward to offer front drive systems. While they perform roughly the same task of transferring rotational energy to the various pumps and accessories, they vary greatly in terms of both looks and packaging. This really helps the builder get a system that won't interfere with other aspects of the car.

We decided to try out Concept One's Victory Series drive system on the 5.3L LS engine that will be stuffed into a first-gen Camaro. These kits will fit LS series and other GM Gen-III and Gen-IV engines, including the LQ9 and L92 GM crate engines, and they will work with LS1- and LS2-style throttle bodies. We needed something fairly compact, since the car will have AC and we needed the compressor to clear the crossmember.

In terms of looks, the idea was to have a system that was clean and understated. On paper, the Concept One serpentine system looked perfect. It came with everything from the damper to a very trick power steering pump with an integrated aluminum mini-reservoir. The big question was, Would it all fit as advertised? To find out, we packed up our tools and headed over to Best of Show Coach Works to do an installation dry run since that's where the motor is.



Read more: Chevy Tech: Drive System Install - Drive Time - Super Chevy Magazine