Alternator Adjustment Strap - source?

[Craven]

Depends on the alternator, this is a Lucas clone on a S3. Note, a spacer between the bracket lower arm and timing case was needed ( don?t know why ) and the top adjusting strap needed a kink to line up with the back of the alternator top fixing lug. Best I could do as dipstick position comes in to play.
Ron.

[2cams70]

Took some photos today of the standard set up on an Escort TC. Unfortunately it was pretty hard to get a decent picture of it in situ however I was able to photograph the bracket and strap by themselves taken from my other Escort TC. I was able to establish from the in situ setup that there is enough room for a front mounted dipstick. If you look carefully you can see the plug in the front cover blocking off the hole that is not used in an Escort because it has a rear mounted sump bowl and dipstick. I was also able to establish that the adjusting strap from a standard crossflow Escort will not fit a Twin Cam. The Twin cam adjusting strap looks more similar to one from a Capri 1600 or Cortina Mk2 but without any comparison strap or part number identification I can't be sure if it's the same. If it's unique to the Twin Cam it will be difficult to source. Note that the lower bracket is of very solid construction and uses 3 mounting points. This same lower bracket is used on standard crossflow Escorts and Twin Cams. I expect Ford knew something that we don't when designing this bracket and I doubt the 2 point mounting system used by most aftermarket brackets is properly up to the task.

[ElanDNA]

Hi 2cams70
For LHD Elans this bracket is a no go.
I've marked on your pic.

Upside down yes.

Cheers Urs

[Chancer]

Back in the day when you bought a Lucas ACR alternator (which was fitted across a range of vehicles) the pivot bolt holes had a steel sleeve in the aluminium casting, this was a transition fit and could be tapped forward or backwards to correctly align with the bracket on the vehicle, I think both front and rear fixing had this sleeve but my memory is dim, if that were the case then the whole alternator could be moved backwards or forwards if needed to perfectly align the V belt.

Sometimes vibration would cause the aluminium casting around these sleeves to wear oval contributing to the amplitude of vibration and the early demise of the unit.

I guess those that are made today have done away with the sleeves to save cost and they will probably only fit correctly on one vehicle if you are Lucky.

[2cams70]

OK. See the issue. Alternator sits too low and hits steering shaft. It's probably still worth considering some other type of 3 point mounting however. My guess is that the 3 point mounting system also contributes somewhat toward the rigidity of the block.

[mmatthej1]

Responding to 'chancer', my Lucas 18ACR Alternator clone has a steel sleeve in the rear bolthole (only), which can indeed be tapped in either direction, to fit with lower mounting plate.

[mmatthej1]

Eureka !

Had a breakthrough thought about bending the Kelvedon adjuster bracket, using vice + big hammer = bracket now fits! (after just a bit of grinding on lower edge, to better clear alternator body)

See fotos - it will bolt up tight, in due course,but I'm going to try to get a section of spreader plate ground out (to clear earth strap bolt) before final re-assembly.

Took a while to get here but think this will get the job done, at last !

[mmatthej1]

Another view:

[The Veg]

I just installed one of the little Densos and one of the reasons I did was because the former alternator was big -a Delco-Remy unit dating from the '70s or '80s and designed for GM cars of the era- and between the strap and the big external fan behind the pulley, there wasn't much room for the dipstick (which the fan rubbed a few times).

It didn't occur to me to put the turnbuckle in front of the alternator as some you you chaps have done, but I rather like what I did come up with. The front-cover bolt just below the head is too small for the hole in the rod-end; the next one down is the right size but is too low to clear the alternator's body. I made a little bracket from 1/8" steel that connects to both of these bolts, puts the rod-end in a position that allows the turnbuckle to clear the alternator body, and also positions it at an angle nearly perpendicular to the bolts. Best of all, it leaves PLENTY of room for the disptick and makes it much easier to see whether or not it's going into its tube when I insert it.