Alternator Mounting Question

[DT1]

I'm in the process of putting all of the doo-dads on my recently rebuilt 350 and I'm having a minor issue with the alternator brackets. The bottom of the alternator mounts to a cradle bracket that attaches via two bolts to the front of the driver side head. This goes on fine. The issue is with the top belt adjusting bracket. I bolted it to the front of the cradle bracket and when I lower it into position on the top of the alternator it wont go on the front or back side of the alternator attach point without forcing it 3/8" either way.
I guess the question is; does the top adjusting bracket go on the front or the rear of the attach point? It won't go on the rear without bending the bracket and if I put it on the front, I'll have to make a spacer. I'm also certain that the bracket wasn't bent while off. Any pictures would be appreciated.

[Southcity]

DT1 can you provide any pics of this setup?

[john]

I believe the brackets are correct in this pic I saved.

[Southcity]

Originally Posted by DT1

The issue is with the top belt adjusting bracket. I bolted it to the front of the cradle bracket and when I lower it into position on the top of the alternator it wont go on the front or back side of the alternator attach point without forcing it 3/8" either way

DT1 - There are a few different top brackets this is why I was asking if you have pics. If you can provide a pic of the top bracket you are using it would help.

[DT1]

Thanks for the replies,
My set up is exactly like john's.
Originally the top bracket went to the back like that but now it falls dead center. I've seen in pictures on this site that show some brackets mounted on the back and some on the front.
I'll take a pic of it tonight. In the mean time I'm going to shoot a beam from the crank pulley to the alternator pulley to check for straight. If the pulleys line up, it's just a simple matter of tweaking the top bracket.

[Southcity]

Great, take those pics and post em up before you do anything. We should be able to get it sorted out for ya.

[swamp rat]

It dosen't really matter if its on the front or back as long as the alternator fan clears the bracket on the front, and you can get full adjustment if its on the back. Mine has been on the front for a long time, probably since my step dad bought the truck around 75, i recently moved it to the back when i replaced my alternator. Its just flat stock with 2 bends in it, it won't hurt it to bend it a little to make it line up better with the top alternator tab

[DT1]

Ok,
Just took some Pics. I'll try to get them in the right order.
Overall of the setup.


Misalignment at the crank pulley.


You can see that the power steering pump lines up perfectly.


On this one you can see the misalignment at the top mount.


And this one shows the bottom cradle mount.


It looks like I'll have to shave a bit off of the alternator or cradle to get it to line up.
What do you guys think?

[oldgold70c10]

The top bracket should have a little "offset" bend so that it goes to the back of the top alt. bolt ear. OK, I was just looking through some of my pics and some went to the front and some went to the rear:

[DT1]

After looking closely at the way this thing mounts, I can only come to one conclusion. Since the brackets and alternator are the same ones I took off the engine, I can only assume that last year when I changed out the alternator, I must have been in a hurry to install it and didn't even notice the misalignment. I probably just forced the upper bracket to the back and that was it. Will someone please measure the length of the bottom of their alternator where it mounts to the bottom cradle bracket. I suspect that mine is too long.

[w3lfd]

It may just be the picture, but the mounting point at the bottom looks twisted and appears as though that is causing the alternator to lean back, which would cause the problem you are having.

[DT1]

Originally Posted by w3lfd

It may just be the picture, but the mounting point at the bottom looks twisted and appears as though that is causing the alternator to lean back, which would cause the problem you are having.

Hmmm....It actually does look like that. I think it's just the camera angle but as soon as I get home, I'm going to take a closer look. If it was really leaning that far, it would defiantly be the problem. I just don't know what would have caused it to do so.

[cdowns]

the adjusting arm was mounted on the waterpump from the factory

[w3lfd]

I have the same exact setup as he does, and the arm mounts right where he has his. Also see all of the above pics.

[Southcity]

Originally Posted by DT1

Hmmm....It actually does look like that. I think it's just the camera angle but as soon as I get home, I'm going to take a closer look. If it was really leaning that far, it would defiantly be the problem. I just don't know what would have caused it to do so.

I think W3lfd is on to something (though it is a bit hard to tell from the pic). It appears as though either the bracket itself is bent and is causing the Alternator to lean back causing the misalignment with the top bracket.

OR

Perhaps it's an issue with the metal spacer/sleeve in the Alternator itself. I am referring to the small sleeve that sits at the rear of the Alternator where the bottom bracket bolt passes through. That spacer/sleeve can get jammed in such a way to cause mis-alignment however; from the pics and what W3lfd said, I am leaning more towards the bent bracket itself.
The alternator certainly does not appear to be sitting flush against the bracket where the head of the bottom bracket bolt feeds through.

Keep us updated and let us know what you find out after some more investigation.

[DT1]

Originally Posted by Southcity

I think W3lfd is on to something (though it is a bit hard to tell from the pic). It appears as though either the bracket itself is bent and is causing the Alternator to lean back causing the misalignment with the top bracket.

OR

Perhaps it's an issue with the metal spacer/sleeve in the Alternator itself. I am referring to the small sleeve that sits at the rear of the Alternator where the bottom bracket bolt passes through. That spacer/sleeve can get jammed in such a way to cause mis-alignment however; from the pics and what W3lfd said, I am leaning more towards the bent bracket itself.
The alternator certainly does not appear to be sitting flush against the bracket where the head of the bottom bracket bolt feeds through.

Keep us updated and let us know what you find out after some more investigation.

Yea, the more I think about it, that's the only thing that makes sense.

[DT1]

Thank you W3lfd! After taking a closer look, I found that the Spacer on the carriage bracket wasn't seating correctly. I had to run an end mill into the back of the alternator about 1/8" to get it to straighten out. When I bolted it back up, everything lined up perfectly. I should have noticed it but I didn't.
Thanks again!!

[Southcity]

And the winner is: W3lfd! great eye!

DT1 - glad to hear that this little issue has now been resolved cuz I failed to commend you and a sweet looking engine!

[w3lfd]

Awesome, I'm just glad you found a simple fix. I know that would have driven me nuts.