Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2010 09:48:44 -0500
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: GoWesty Alternator Bracket
In-Reply-To: <BLU0-SMTP74D5FCB9E8ABBCA5890F86A6380@phx.gbl>
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The go Westy bracket should be used in addition to, just instead of the
stock bracket. It seems designed to provide additional support front/rear. A
real clever design.
The one thing I would do is be sure to use P.C. 10.9 hardware and hardened
washers though. I like the idea of the threaded nut and pass though bolt but
that threaded part seems a bit thin.
Proper tension of the belt is essential. A loose belt can set up various
vibrations and oscillations that will do as much or more damage to bearings
as a tight belt and can be a source of bracket failure. Get a belt tension
gauge and learn to use it. As an alternate the belt should be tight enough
that turning the alternator pulley with a wrench you should be able to turn
the engine without the belt slipping. The belt layout is a very poor design
as the belt does not get a good wrap around the engine pulley. If you have
the later top alternator bracket with the adjusting rack set up the spec is
6ft/lbs on the adjusting nut.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Karl Wolz
Sent: Friday, March 05, 2010 2:50 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: GoWesty Alternator Bracket
Half inch deflection (never knew how hard to push to get that deflection
though) seems to be pretty standard advice.
Quicky tip: spread a bit of brake fluid on the contact surfaces of the
belts. It conditions the rubber (just like inside the brake system), giving
a better grip on the pulleys.
Karl Wolz
|-----Original Message-----
|From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
|Katy Hahn
|Sent: Friday, March 05, 2010 9:35 AM
|To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
|Subject: GoWesty Alternator Bracket
|
|I have just put one of these on my '84 and thought I would comment on it:
|
|http://www.gowesty.com/library_article.php?id=1201
|
|It obviously side-steps the possible failure of those studs/holes in
|the block by using the much meatier holes made for the power steering
|unit.
|
|Comes with more parts than shown to accomodate installation on engines
|w/o a power steering pump (like mine).
|
|The mounting holes in the bracket allow some wiggle-room so care must
|be taken that the alternator (pulley) ends up in the same plane as the
|crank pulley.
|
|Biggest design concern I have is that the bracket only offers a rear
|support (the original had support for the lower alternator mount both
|front and rear. This seems to put a lot of faith in that bolt which
|now must carry the load held only by the threads at its far end. Just
|an ordinary 80mm bolt I think -- the kind I have bent from time to
|time.
|
|Other concern is that the lower bolt is held by threads tapped into
|the (1/4 inch) metal of the bracket. I would have preferred to have
|seen a large nut welded on the bracket -- but I'm no engineer.
|
|At first when I just eyeballed the bracket I saw the ear with the
|threaded hole was not square with the plane of the crank. Uh oh. But
|then I did a trial fit of the lower bolt and saw that the threaded
|hole was just a bit crooked and thus the bolt ended up in the exact
|position it needed to be. Odd, but perhaps they make the bracket then
|use a jig to bore the hole as needed. I'm still not an engineer.
|
|Have a 5000 mile trip planned fo next month and beyond -- I will, of
|course, carry the old parts along just for luck.
|
|In summary: the appears well made, solves the problem it is meant to,
|time will tell if it is well-designed.
|
|One question for those still reading -- what is the thinking on belt
|tension? On some of my old cars I keep the belt almost loose, but
|those are low-demand units. On the Westy I have always kept the belt
|pretty tight (and yet can get a chirp out of it on hard acceleration
|with electric load occuring).
|
|The reason I ask: If I could get away with a looser belt I would feel
|better about this design.
|
|Thanks!
|
|Geo