Alternator Bracket

[types26/36]

Before buying the three bolt bracket make sure your engine has the top tapped lug as I recall the early blocks do not have that lug.

[billwill]

I shall shortly be getting the worn alternator bracket either welded & drilled or sleeved.

But is there supposed to be a recess around each of the alternator bolt holes?

I have now obtained an example of the alternative type of bracket which has what appears to be original blue paint.

007.jpg

This second bracket has recesses with residual paint which could be original (or of course a repaint).

The original massive bracket also has a recess (albeit elongated) around each mounting hole.

Are these "recesses" deliberate or wear

005.jpg

I think those recesses are supposed to be there, for washers.

The rear hole is not for a normal BOLT clamping tight to the alternator, instead it should be a a sleeve over a bolt with the sleeve used as a pivot for the alternator to swing (to adjust tension in the fanbetl) but to allow the alternator rear fixing hole to slide to & fro on the sleeve as the alternator expands and contracts with heat.

As far as I am aware, the actual arrangement there should be a longish narrow bolt with a washer at its head, then the sleeve, then a washer then through the bracket hole then a washer then a nyloc nut.

If the alternator fixing cannot expand I suspect that in extreme circumstances it might crack the back plate of the alternator.

I found this picture in our own photo gallery here, with the sleeved bolt going through the hole in the rear face of the alternator. The picture is taken from underneeath looking upwards.

[Elanman99]

I shall shortly be getting the worn alternator bracket either welded & drilled or sleeved.

But is there supposed to be a recess around each of the alternator bolt holes?

The original massive bracket also has a recess (albeit elongated) around each mounting hole.

Are these "recesses" deliberate or wear

005.jpg

Its completely normal to spotface a casting or an angled face for a bolt or nut to seat correctly but its not something one would do just for the sake of it (or to sit a washer in!). On the other hand it looks too well defined to be caused by wear as I would have expected it to be much more rounded.

The fact that the holes is oversize does confirm that the bolt has been loose for a long time (years probably) so I'm surprised it was not spotted when the belt was adjusted or the car serviced.

Ian

[billwill]

I shall shortly be getting the worn alternator bracket either welded & drilled or sleeved.

But is there supposed to be a recess around each of the alternator bolt holes?

The original massive bracket also has a recess (albeit elongated) around each mounting hole.

Are these "recesses" deliberate or wear

005.jpg

Its completely normal to spotface a casting or an angled face for a bolt or nut to seat correctly but its not something one would do just for the sake of it (or to sit a washer in!). On the other hand it looks too well defined to be caused by wear as I would have expected it to be much more rounded.

The fact that the holes is oversize does confirm that the bolt has been loose for a long time (years probably) so I'm surprised it was not spotted when the belt was adjusted or the car serviced.

Ian

In my opinion, in this case it is precisely because the bolt is undersize for the hole that the washers have to be recessed. If done proiperly it will prevent the bolt from wearing the hole. The holes in the washers should fit the BOLT, not the existing hole and thus prevent the sleeve from going into the bracket hole.

As to why the hole is bigger than the bolt, it is perhaps so that under given circumstances (i.e. to fit different lengths of alternator) it might be necessary to fix the bolt to the alternator and have the sleeve rotate & slide (slightly) in the hole in the bracket, instead of as in the picture above, fix the bolt to the bracket and have the alternator rotate & slide onthe sleeve.

[types26/36]

[quote="AlfaLofa"]is there supposed to be a recess around each of the alternator bolt holes?/quote]

I have an original Ford bracket (still in its blue paint) and it does not have recess's for washers.

[AlfaLofa]

Aha - but my original blue Ford bracket does:

(Excuse the arrow - that was for the previous pictures).

[Elanman99]

Aha - but my original blue Ford bracket does:

(Excuse the arrow - that was for the previous pictures).

But how do you know it really was made like that?

Ian

[AlfaLofa]

Well the blue paint looks original to me - and there is still blue paint present in the recess.

Other than that I don't know.

I'm beginning to regret ever asking the question about the "recess" in the first place

[billwill]

Aha - but my original blue Ford bracket does:

(Excuse the arrow - that was for the previous pictures).

But how do you know it really was made like that?

Ian

Because there are flecks of blue paint in the recess???



Erm excuse me folks, but does this mystery really matter compared to allthe other mysteries of the universe.

[types26/36]

Aha - but my original blue Ford bracket does:.

Aha- yes but your original Ford bracket is worn

[AlfaLofa]

Thanks Bill

[AlfaLofa]

"Aha- yes but your original Ford bracket is worn"

Aha - no.

The original Ford blue bracket isn't worn - but the great lump of metal which was on the side of the spare twink was worn

[Galwaylotus]

I shall shortly be getting the worn alternator bracket either welded & drilled or sleeved.

But is there supposed to be a recess around each of the alternator bolt holes?

I have now obtained an example of the alternative type of bracket which has what appears to be original blue paint.

007.jpg

This second bracket has recesses with residual paint which could be original (or of course a repaint).

The original massive bracket also has a recess (albeit elongated) around each mounting hole.

Are these "recesses" deliberate or wear

005.jpg

I think those recesses are supposed to be there, for washers.

The rear hole is not for a normal BOLT clamping tight to the alternator, instead it should be a a sleeve over a bolt with the sleeve used as a pivot for the alternator to swing (to adjust tension in the fanbetl) but to allow the alternator rear fixing hole to slide to & fro on the sleeve as the alternator expands and contracts with heat.

As far as I am aware, the actual arrangement there should be a longish narrow bolt with a washer at its head, then the sleeve, then a washer then through the bracket hole then a washer then a nyloc nut.

If the alternator fixing cannot expand I suspect that in extreme circumstances it might crack the back plate of the alternator.

I found this picture in our own photo gallery here, with the sleeved bolt going through the hole in the rear face of the alternator. The picture is taken from underneeath looking upwards.

I think that's my installation. I just had to space the front with washers to align the pulleys. Nylok nuts on the bolts so "fit-and-forget". I did need to re-tension the belt this year but still run it very loose with no ill effects. BTW, I had to go one size longer on the belt as there was too much interference to get enough slack to fit the standard belt.