Noob SN89 questions

[cj750]

Picked up a cheap SN89 at a garage sale last weekend. No manual or instructions, but from brackets and misc. parts, it appears to have been previously installed on a FI 302 in an F150. Seller reported that it had been in storage for at least ten years.
Anyway, a visual inspection doesn't reveal anything wrong, and the the ATF that was in it looks good with no burnt smell or visible metallic particles. Is there some way to bench test one of these, or should I just assume its worn out and order a rebuild kit?
As a source for parts to use this on a carbed SBF application, is Paradise Wheels the only game in town, or are there alternatives worth considering?

[Michael]

Welcome to SCH. Nice garage sale find.

Unfortunately, without setting up a complex combination of brackets, pulleys, electric motor and some type of electric speed controller, there's no viable way to really bench test a supercharger for the average enthusiast.

In the case of your SN, short of a complete tear-down and inspection, the simplest thing to do is to turn the input shaft to ensure it spins smoothly. What you're looking for are any notches or 'catching' while the supercharger's internals are rotating. If you do feel any notches or catching while spinning the supercharger it's usually indicative of badly worn internals, which will need to be replaced.

However, if the supercharger spins smoothly there's a good chance the blower is probably fine to use after a simple fluid drain and refill. Use only Type F, non-synthetic fluid; the general consensus on the forum is that B&M TrickShift (the non-synthetic version) offers the best performance.

As for a parts source, Paradise Wheels offers the lowest prices along with very good technical support.

[Sulaco1976]

Seals might be bad, but otherwise, it should be ok to Run, and if noisy, just send it in to craig for a Rebuild $735 shipped back to you. Sounds like a lot, but cheaper then $2000-$3000 for a base Vortech or Novi, Don't forget to get an oil cooler
BTW, this post is months old, so I am sure all is well at this time =)