How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

When I got my truck I bought and quickly went through v-belts that were thin and stretch easily and were generally cruddy. The Autozone and O'Reilly store brand belts are pretty much glorified rubber bands. I had one that lasted about 1 week before completely falling apart. Then I switched to Gates belts which are much better. Now a year has passed and the belt is starting to chirp when I start then engine up from cold. Cold around here means 65 to 75 F. After the truck warms up, the chirping goes away. The belt is adequately tightened. So, I'm thinking about getting a fresh belt. My question: is there a better belt? I would like to get one that is robust and that fills the v-groove, and is just plain no-foolin fantastic, better than Gates.

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

That looks to be the wrong width belt- it is sitting too low in the pulley grooves. Also, do the water pump groove and the groove on the crankshaft pulley have rust like the unused groove on the water pump pulley? That rust can chew a belt pretty quickly. The belts should last for many years, depending on climate and mileage.

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

Here is a better picture, there is more dust than rust on the unused groove. The belt is in pretty much excellent condition, no cracks or other wear. It is the most correct size I am able to find, it is just like every other Gates belt at O'Reilly auto parts. As far as I know they do not have a thicker or better one, and I did beg them to sell me an even better belt. This is the best they have. The new belt I am getting ready to buy from them will look exactly like the one I'm taking off, no difference at all. I agree it does not fit the groove as well as it could. So, what is everybody doing about this for their trucks?

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

Just looking at your last picture it seems that your belt is running on the bottom of the groove. It looks polished. I went to my local parts store not a chain store, the counter person measured the belt on the belt stick and found me a wider belt and never had another squeal again. The counter people at chains stores only know how to use a computer!!! Just like the Rock Auto commercial song says!!! :lol:

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

Here's a picture of mine, it's hard to see but if you zoom a bit you can see where the outer surface of the belt is level with the OD of the pully where as yours is down in the groove. Good Luck!!

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/gallery/...uck-Engine.jpg

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

I don't follow what you are saying about "local parts store not a chain store". I am not aware of any parts store that is not a chain store. 100% of the stores around here are Carquest, Advance, Napa, O'Reilly, Autozone, etc. That is why I'm asking here what to actually do about this or how to find the right place. If I could find the proper belt brand and size or part number, I could order it online or probably order it from one of these chain stores. Yes, the car parts store counter people only know how to find parts from the application (make/model/year) and they barely know how to do that.

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

The first number on a Gates belt is the width. the next 3 numbers are the length. An example is 7530. 1/2 belt 53.0 inches long. You need to find a wider belt.

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

Yup. DJ, what is the number on your belt, now? Seems like we can at least get a consensus on which one to get. It ain't the one you have now, not meaning any offense by that. I don't like buying parts that don't last, either. It's kind of like getting robbed.

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

Yes, the existing belt is a 7520. I wonder if anybody with an original SBC 350 on one of these trucks has used anything other than the 7 series belt when they use a Gates belt.

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

I've been getting robbed on a variety of parts for this truck. :-)

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

Do not feel that your all alone, I have been through 3 brake boosters, 4 starters, 2 sets of wheel cylinders, 4 alternators, and 3 voltage regulators.

All but the first was warranty replacements under a lifetime warranty! My 6 month old belt does the same thing, it squeals, squeaks, and really wines when I hammer the throttle.

The original equipment was better, built by the original manufacture. All of this ancillary equipment is what drives me bat **** crazy. I gotta do the labor!

The Original Truck in its rust is still moving down the road with the first real engine rebuild on it a total of 389,000 miles. Currently on 90 k with the motor.

I have yet to figure out the belt thing, after the rust is gone, the shiny polished surface I know under the belt is not assisting the matter. That big heavy pully on most alts. does not help the matter later. I got a bigger replacement that is much more lighter. It worked for a while.

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

A guess based on my 30+ years experience as a mechanic, would be a Gates belt # 8525 or maybe # 8530.... Both are wider and will "ride" higher in the pullies than the one you have, and are also a bit longer...

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

Riding higher in the pulleys would be because they are wider. I think that you found the answer to his issue!

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

I feel just a bit better now..... my list consists of 3 new A/C compressors, 4 alternators, and 3 voltage regulators. Internally regulated alternator finally did the trick.

To the OP's problem, I think you guys have nailed it. Gotta come up with a wider belt one way or the other. My local NAPA is great at finding the right parts. If you have one, give 'em a try.

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

Thank you very much. I love guesses based on 30+ years experience as a mechanic, that's fantastic. Got to be better than my guesses. I will post pictures when I find and install the better belt.

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

I do not know anything about where you are.

Around here there is union auto parts. They are a parts plus place. They handle ac delco, motor craft and mopar parts as well as brands like dorman, moog, etc. They have real parts guys that know how things work and how to solve problems, find parts. They remember your name when you go in.

When we had car quest they were ok. Like you said, the chain stores are terrible. O'Reilly's had 2 real good guys for a while. Joe and Larry, of course since they aren't stupid, they both moved on to bigger and better things.

Good luck, real parts stores are a dying breed.

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

Parts store guys and gals are people. It depends on what person you are dealing with, not the sign out front. We people out here with our internet and parcel delivery are Rock Auto's chain so that they can operate from a single base and undersell the local store (chain or independent) you can go grab a part right now from. My NAPA has a parts loft behind the counter above the shelving. All around the outside of the loft hang v-belts from smallest to largest. With good eyes you can find the number you are looking for, if you know what they mean. You can get the right belt dealing with even the most lame parts person. I know that's just my store, but I always save the number I know works best after going through finding the right size dilemma, especially on non-original configuration engines. Different alternator mounting, tall valve covers, etc. I also use the Z/28 deep grove alternator pulleys

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

Can you please tell more about Z/28 deep grove alternator pulleys? Where does a person obtain one? Is there a way to order one online, or does the parts store have one? Are they bigger around so the belt grabs more of their circumference? Are they a deeper grove than the engine pully? I think I have an alternator pully that is about the same depth as my engine pully.

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

You can buy one online just search z/28 alternator pulley. I dont think it will help your squealing. It has a deeper groove to keep the belt from jumping during high rpm.

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

Most of the chain stores do not do a good job recruiting or retaining people. The best ones stay hidden from folks walking through the front door, back in commercial sales.

It would be nice to be able to tell the counter guy I want 8 rc12yc spark plugs or a can of Chevrolet orange paint without being asked "what year is your car?"

It's not the persons fault for not knowing. It is the company's fault for hiring them, then placing them with no training.

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

I went into a speed shop (which not longer exists) and asked for the house brand headers for a SBC in a '56 Chevy. The guy asked me what engine, I told him it was a 305. Of course that wasn't in the catalog as available in '56. OK, fine sell me a set for a 283. He wouldn't, because I had already told him I had a 305! I went to a different speed shop and got them. Wild.

As far as untrained people go, I see that all the time. One of my sons went to work at a Taco Bell when he was in high school. They put him on the order window for the drive through without explaining where the buttons were for the different combination meals (not marked on there either) at lunch time! SMH

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

We have all the popular "chain" stores here in my town of Oak Harbor, WA. We also have Oak Harbor Auto Parts, that has been around since the 1940's. They have a "house brand" of parts (It has changed over the years from Parts Plus to Auto Exxtra and a few others I believe), but they are a local store owned by a local family. They get 100% of my business. :)

Gary

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

It REALLY depends store to store, and employee to employee, but at this point, I hardly ever go to a brick and mortar store without a part number in hand and have verified the part is at that location. Most of the time, I am ordering from Rock Auto or Summit Racing, because I can get the part I want, not just whatever part is on their shelf.

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

drive it to Napa , Open the hood and tell them you need a new set of gates belts . Check them before you leave . Done . :chevy:

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

if the belt was initally installed on a rusty pully it would have worn prematurely regardless of size...now that it has sacrificially polished your pully there's a good chance the original size will fit and work...good chance if you had taken a wire wheel to the pully in the first place we wouldnt be having this conversation...the gates green stripe belts are really good

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

Your pulley looks worn out, they do wear, try a new one or another used one.

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

New pulley, not sure on the diameter...
https://www.speedwaymotors.com/1955-...ump,12678.html

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

I never did find a source for Gates belts in the 8 series such as 8525 that RustyPile suggested. Gates green stripe belts that volksworld mention sound good, from what I read online they are heavy duty.

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

OK I had O'Reilly's order me a Gates XL 9525. There is no such thing as 8525 any more. The 9525 did not fit, it was way too wide. So I took it back and had them give me a 7520, which is the exact same one I was using before. I put it on. As you can see, it substantially fills the groove and it is noticeably wider than the squeaky 7520 I am replacing. In this picture I held the old belt in the next groove of the water pump pulley for comparison.

Attachment 2022498

I do not remember the old 7520 belt riding high in the alternator pulley when I first installed it, but I suppose it could have been that way and I was not paying attention, and perhaps that causes the belt to wear and get narrow. I suppose I will need to try one of those deep groove pulleys but I don't know if they are compatible with the 7 series belts. If it is, then I will need to get a longer belt because this one is going to be too short to fit over the pulley. Then I will get into interference and rubbing on the power steering pump, and very limited range of adjustment. I don't know if a 1972 upper alternator bracket would allow me to really use a wider range of adjustment without the belt rubbing on the power steering pump.

Attachment 2022499

The stock alternator has a much wider range of adjustment because there is a big indentation in the case that allows the valve cover it fit in it. This alternator is a CS144 which does not have that indentation and is also an inch bigger. What I would really like is an alternator lower mount bracket that holds the lower alternator out 1 more inch away from the valve cover. Then I would have better range of adjustment.

The problem is if I get a belt that barely slips over the pulley when the alternator is adjusted all the way in, by the time I adjust the belt the alternator is already at the all-the-way out position and belt is too loose. So I need to get a short belt, and remove the lower alternator bracket and rotate the whole bracket and alternator down just to put the belt on. There is no way for me to win it seems.

Overall, I'm pretty bummed out. I just want this belt crap all figured out. If anybody has a GM alternator pulley that they know works with the 7 series of Gates belts, fills the groove but does not result in the belt riding high, I would be happy to buy it and pay postage.

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

Look at the 88 and up pully setups at your local junkyard craigslist etc

You will need a new water pump grab the ps as well as the altenator if it has different locating ears water pump pully and crank pully

I am doing this for my 72 to be able to ditch the vbelts

With the rust cleaned out now your new belt will proubly last much longer now

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

I would like to do that as well. I am inexperienced at shopping junkyards, and don't have a lot of time for that. I suppose it will be worth taking some vacation time. I will have to figure it out. If somebody here knows of an opportunity to pick up a serpentine setup and would like to tell me about it, or pull it for me and ship it, I would like to pay for one. I don't care too much for the new aftermarket serpentine setups that I see in catalogs and web sites for $2000-$3000, but would not mind spending some dozens or hundreds of dollars.

I don't and didn't have any rust on any of the pulley grooves. The pulley for the alternator was new, and the water pump and engine crank pulley were cleaned up and painted, and the truck has been a daily driver since then. So there's no time for rust to form, this truck keeps moving. Any rust that was perceived from the pictures was not there, it is the way the light falls when taking pictures I suppose.

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

If you have a local Pick a part there are guys just hanging around that you can pay to get the parts off for you.

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

The 7520 belt riding high in the alternator pulley as shown in the picture above had to be fixed. That pulley was from my last alternator, which was a cheap Chinese 12SI that only lasted 1 year. I transferred the pulley and fan onto the Delco Remy USA CS144 alternator because that alternator came with a serpentine pulley. The V-belt pulley was probably intended for 3/8" belts. To solve the problem I bought a new deep groove pully and fan set.
Attachment 2026072

Now the new wide belt does not fill the groove. I did not expect it to because it is a deep groove pulley. It sure is nice.
Attachment 2026073

The new belt fills the groove on the engine and water pump. Looks nice there as well. No more squealing.
Attachment 2026074
Attachment 2026075


And finally, I bought a used Ingersoll Rand Impactool. I've always wanted one of these and didn't pull the trigger until now.
Attachment 2026083

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

That's a new one on me.. I'm a retired mechanic and worked in the field for over 30 years.. Been retired quite a while and these days I just "piddle" with my own stuff.. About 2 years ago, I replaced the belts on my C/10 using Gates "8" series belts.. I'm not saying you or O'Reilly's are wrong.. Perhaps the locally owned parts store I patronize had some NOS belts...

Re: How to find or where to buy alternator belt
 

Yes I wonder about that, too. Anyway, the 8 series would be too wide for this engine, 7 series is just right and I didn't know it because mine was prematurely worn down by me using the incorrect alternator pulley.