Why do people..............

[ChevyC102007]

Well just like the title says.......what posesses people to do the things they do? Ok lemme start from the beginning here.


Friday....took the truck to work so I could go down afterwards to get the engine that Im going to build to put back in Blue. Started out and my belt was slipping and it got worse the farther I went. Finally pulled over about 5 miles from work and low and friggin behold................another busted Altenator bracket bolt (well both this time). Ok as per normal I got miffed to the point of crying (This is number 4 well 5 if ya count the other one so you can guess at how upset I was). Anyways I got my cell and left the truck parked where it was overnight.

Saturday, I went to work as usual the plan ws to go and pickup the truck after work and nurse it back to the house................had a couple other errands to run as well so I did those, not thinking anything was amiss at the time. Well the parts stores were closed so I figured Id just jury rig the altenator so it will still do a half assed charge on the battery so I could get home. Anyways we got there, and as soon as I popped the hood I knew something wasnt right............................I couldnt find my alternator nor the bracket.........................ok maybe when I got pissed off the night before I threw it on the ground under the truck.....nope. I notice a gapping hole off to the right of the truck where my battery was supposed to be.............long story short..........................SOME &%&%*^(*& IDIOT STOLE THE BATTERY AND ALTENATOR W/ BRACKET...........WTF!?!?!?!

Now can someone please explain to me why on the face of Gods green earth someone would be sneaky and underhanded enough to do that to anyone? The battery I can sorta understand.............but to steal an alternator and bracket (and ripped aka tore or clipped of the battery/ground leads) that will most likely ONLY fit a 67-72 Chevy pickup................now thats just plan asinine IMHO.

So after the 340$ tow bill, whatever its gonna run for another battery, repairing the wiring and a nw altenator and bracket (Friend of mine says he has a jimmy that may interchange but Im not sure Ill have to check) Ill have it back to running again...............BUT on the bright side.......they didnt bother the close to 300 dollars worth of tools in the truck nor did they swipe the radio or anyother items that may have been worth something.

Oh well......just thought maybe someone on here may have had a similar experience.

[woodridge]

Some thieves will steal any thing thats loose or almost loose in your case. Most likely, the alt & bracket will end up in the trash or sold for scrap.

[Jim_PA]

You have to watch for empty houses for sale everywhere too. Crooks will go in and cut out all the copper.

[72BlckButy]

the world is not what it used to be. People will steal you blind if they have the chance.

Sorry to hear about the situation.

[49m]

Down at the ford truck plant someone stole all the catilacconverters off of the new trucks waiting to get shipped out.

[Dingfodgy]

One Word..........TWEEKERS!

A social reject with a spun melon + an uncontrollable urge for another hit = really stupid and destructive decisions being made.

[cdowns]

yes abandoned vehicles on the side of the road are prime targets

maybe go with at least grade 5bolts or stainless next time so you dont place yourself in that position again

[mrein3]

Originally Posted by ChevyC102007

Well just like the title says.......what posesses people to do the things they do? Ok lemme start from the beginning here.


Friday....took the truck to work so I could go down afterwards to get the engine that Im going to build to put back in Blue. Started out and my belt was slipping and it got worse the farther I went. Finally pulled over about 5 miles from work and low and friggin behold................another busted Altenator bracket bolt (well both this time). Ok as per normal I got miffed to the point of crying (This is number 4 well 5 if ya count the other one so you can guess at how upset I was).

...stuff deleted.

Sorry about the stuff you lost but this post is about how you can fix the original problem.

I too was plagued by alternator bolts busting off at inopportune times. I replaced them with grade 8 bolts. They lasted longer but they too eventually fatigued and busted off.

In my case the real problem was the same old previous owner (PO) problem. The PO put an engine in out of a newer truck. He or she then mixed and matched pulleys until they got something together that SORT OF worked. One day while I had the hood up I was showing something to somebody with the engine running. All of a sudden the alternator started vibrating violently. It was obvious that a lot of this motion would fatigue the mounting bolts and eventually bust them.

If you've seen the video of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge breaking apart I'm thinking that is what happened to my alternator. At the right frequency (rpm), the alternator would shake and start screwing up those bolts. Day in and day out, every time my engine went by that rpm it would shake that bolt. Like all metal, you can only move it the wrong way so many times before the metal will fail.

I started looking for pulleys that would work. I finally ened up at da-burb's place where we matched my top pulley to an unmolested truck. He sold me the crank pulley off that truck.

I haven't had a problem since.

Start looking for a matched set of pulleys.

[boogie67]

I ran out of gas one time. By the time I came back someone had taken my fuel pump.

[EAST SIDE LOW LIFE]

Someone needed this more then you, more blessed to give then to recieve. Wonder why this doesn't make you feel any better.

Ok, on a more serious note .... this is a drag and stealing is no way to solve ones needs. I'm sorry to hear thar this has happened to you. Stronger bolts as cdowns pointed out might be the solution to the broken bolt issue, the second thing is never leave your truck ever on the side of the road as cdowns also pointed out. It appears you ended up with a tow bill perhaps you should have towed it when you broke down the day before. Tough lesson to learn!

esll.

[webfoot]

I agree with mrein, stronger bolts will just bandaid the problem, and leave you stranded after you think the problem is fixed. Sounds like you have pulley or alignment problems.

Sucks what happened, I feel for ya there.

[jerry moss]

i work in a muffler shop and we see cars and trucks with stolen cat converters on a weekly basis--toyota 4x4s are most common but nothing is safe. at our local windmill generator farm recently they had one of the generators go off line so they went to check it out and found the copper thief was "quick fried to a crackley crunch", saved the taxpayers a little money on court costs anyway. i HATE thieves

[Brock]

Yup, two people I have absolutely no use for is a thief and/or a lier...Lowest form of human, too lazy to work for something so they steal it. Around here people were cutting down telephone poles to get the copper off of them (they weren't wired, don't know if they were being replaced or what but its the principle of the thing).

[72BLUZ]

my thing is this, why in the world did you leave there overnight?!! i would have called for help at that point! dont get me wrong, i am not trying to make you feel bad. but hey, you should have never left it unattended over night.

[Bishops Trucks]

Originally Posted by Brock

Yup, two people I have absolutely no use for is a thief and/or a lier...Lowest form of human, too lazy to work for something so they steal it.

100%!

[ChevyC102007]

UPDATE................

1st off reported it to the Cheyenne County Nebraska Sheriffs department and they already have two suspects ( been arrested for the same **** on a few ocassions.........so why they arent in jail I dunno).

2nd.......... Problem solved..............altenator is now on the Passenger side of the engine (Stupid thing is the truck was ORGINALLY wired for a I think its the CS or internally regulated altenator.) After the addition of a water pump for a 1974 Chevy (long pump) all the pulleys alined and now charges the new 1000 CA battery at a cool 14.5-14.7 volts .

Ok so I goofed I shouldnt have left it overnight that was my fault. Around Kimball where I am Ive seen cars and trucks parked on the side of Hwy 30 and Hwy 71 for at least 2 or 3 months, so I didnt think much of it.

The bolts in the bracket WERE grade 8 bolts so Im guessing the frequency deal is about right and I did have a few alignment problems. I also got to thinking that maybe the old water pump may have locked up causing the bolts to snap (The first few times it was just the lower bolt that snapped this time it was both of them.

SO again long story short, new battery, proper water pump and altenator = WAY Happy owner and a damn better running 71. Oh and ummmmm.......................lesson learned the hardway.

[69TowRig]

Originally Posted by ChevyC102007

Around Kimball where I am Ive seen cars and trucks parked on the side of Hwy 30 and Hwy 71 for at least 2 or 3 months, so I didnt think much of it.

Now you know why, the owner's showed back up and their alternators and batteries were gone!

Glad you got it all worked out and it did not end up worse that it was.

[68K20 x Drill]

Be glad some Jack**** thief has your cursed alternator and bracket that will leave him stranded!
But next time save on the towing, Just buy a battery, tape off your alternator connections, and drive home.
You are good for about 2 hours with the lights on, maybe half a day without.

[mrein3]

Originally Posted by 68K20 x Drill

Be glad some Jack**** thief has your cursed alternator and bracket that will leave him stranded!
But next time save on the towing, Just buy a battery, tape off your alternator connections, and drive home.
You are good for about 2 hours with the lights on, maybe half a day without.

Good idea but remember your alternator belt also drives your water pump. You got about 5 minutes of drive time without that.

[68K20 x Drill]

Could be, I have redundundancy with my PS pump.

[beautimus]

i agree with 68 k20 x drill on the battery thing. thats why i am putting the aux battery tray and 2nd battery in mine. i would rather go into limp home mode than pay a wrecker any time. besides i have spent 45 years accumulating an impressove beer gut, and the walk to a pay phone would rob several fat cells.