Before the last wheelin' trip I noticed a bit of a squeal which I chalked up to worn v-belts.

Replaced both belts and low-n-behold it went from intermittent to non-stop.

I tried adjusting them seven ways to Sunday and still squealing non-stop.

I then thought the alternator pulley looked a little suspect so I removed the alternator had it tested and the guy said while its' output was fine he thought the bearings were shot and recommended a new one. Installed new alternator and new pulley and wa-la..................still squealing like a pig. 100 bucks down the drain.

Said to myself, it must be the water pump so I replaced it and the thermostat. After I installed it I ran the engine without any of the belts on it for about one minute and it ran nice and quiet. Revved the engine while doing it and no squeal.

Put the fan pulley, fan, and belts on and of course it is back to squealing again. The grooves in the fan pulley look ok as do the belts (their basically brand new). Adjusted the belts a couple times without success.

At idle it barely squeals. I took it for a test drive and if you put any load on the engine it starts squealing. Man, my neighbors gotta love me.

At least the new water pump seems to have solved my hot running engine issue. Gauge still reads 190 +/- but the engine bay is way cooler and it didn't vapor lock while on the test drive.

I am now wondering if it could be a bearing going bad in the engine itself ? I'm not accustomed to engine bearings squealing like this but I am out of ideas and beginning to think the worst.

So, what else could I check or do to find the root cause of the squeal ?

did you clean the pulleys? A little antifreeze on them will make them squeal. You still have your old belts? try and put them on. I've had a brand new belt chirp.

Can you see any other pulley's that may be worn to the point that it will allow the belt(s) to slip causing your squealing? Could there be such a load on the alternator that it is causing the squeal?

I have a Car Care Manual distributed by Gates Rubber Co. back in the 70's. Quote from this manual " A belt slipping when driven accessory is under load, may produce a howl or squeal. Retension or replace belt.
Squeaks are more noticeable when engine is idling, and are generally caused by misalignment or too much tension. Correct by checking pulley alignment and retensioning belt."

You might want to check the belt alignment. Also make sure the belt fits in the V groove correctly and the belt isn't in or out of the groove by too much.

I disconnected the radio and put the battery on the charger overnight.

Not brave enough to start it up at 5:30 am and risk waking the wife.

I guess my next move will be to take the belts off one at a time to see if I can isolate the squeal.

Well it seems a fully charged battery has indeed solved the squeal

Now if a fully charged battery could only stop a leaky rear main seal

Thanks for everyone's input and suggestions