Ribbed belt path for Mustang 5.0?

Chassis is almost ready for paint and I'm getting ready to test-fit the ('85) 5.0 and build the mounts. Sorting out the engine details right now and ran into what might be an unexpected problem.

I'm running the engine with just the crank, water pump and alternator pulleys. The water pump is the stock reverse rotation stocker.

Is there any diagram showing how I might route the belt to work with just the three pulleys? I don't have the tensioner (the alternator bracket will serve to keep the belt tight) so that isn't an option.

Can't figure out a route/configuration that might work.

Any help in this, or will I have to source out a stock pensioner pulley after all?

Thanks ! !

I might be missing something but my 302 (obviously) came with a tensioner. I can't picture it all functioning well without the spring-loaded action of the tensioner pulley.

I've heard of people doing it with a clockwise rotating water pump where the Mustang one is reverse rotation.

Pictures would help a whole lot with this issue- even if it's just a picture of a similar setup and not your own.

Yeah, pics or the stock routing diagram from the donor would be helpful.

In reply to ebonyandivory:

Static tension works fine with a serpentine belt, a lot of Japanese cars were built that way.

In reply to BrokenYugo:

I'm sure that's true but there's a few people out there that counter that at least with longer belts, they can fly off at higher RPM's.

For the longest time I ran my 5.0 with a smog pump bypass and because of this the tensioner had very little leverage on the belt. I would get the tighest belt I could, wrench it on there and in a couple thousand miles it would loosen up and start squeaking. I can't picture it working really well with no tensioner at all.

These all keep the tensioner:

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In reply to TeamEvil:

Unless the 3 pulleys are essentially in line with each other I don't see how it could work without a 4th pulley somewhere.

what i did a few years ago on a 5.0 i was going to run a similar setup on was use a tensioner from a late ford 300 i6 which tensions in the opposite rotation of the stock tensioner. All i had to do was drill a new hole in the alternator bracket for the tensioner dowel that would clock it in the spot i wanted.

Simple ebay tensioner:

I was afraid of this . . . I was hoping that I might have the belt come off of the top crank, kiss the bottom of the water pump pulley head on up and out to the alternator and back to the bottom of the crank pulley. Adjust the tension at the alternator, and use the deflection as the belt hits the bottom of the water pump pulley as a means of keeping the belt tight. Almost using the intrusion of the water pump pulley in place of a tensioner. Guess not ! I'm thinking in more of a V-belt frame of mind than in the the stretchable ribbed belt mode guess.

As an alternative, would anyone know exactly which early timing cover would fit the later ('85) 5.0 engine and allow a clockwise rotation water pump to be fitted to it?

I would imagine (Which is a BIG error with the small block Ford !) that there might be a 289/302 timing cover that might fit the later 5.0. The would end up making the engine look more like the 289, which is my end goal, and allow for a simple V-belt set-up eliminating the need for a tensioner and the reverse rotation water pump.

There were many different timing covers used over the life of the small block (WHY ! ? ! ? ! ? !) looking for the right one to work with the later 5.0 block.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated ! ! ! !