So, after my 35 year old Lucas alternator died, I was smart and went out to Lordco to replace it with what is supposedly the nearly bolt-up replacement: a Delco 10SI.
Whilst there, was instructed to upgrade to the newer 12SI lump that provides more amps and has better cooling packaged up in the same dimensions as the 10SI. Due to the expediency of the swap, I ended up procuring a single-pulley (I will be machining a double pulley in the near future), 74 amp 12SI with the plug in the correct (topmost) position by pulling a 1983 Chevy Cavalier alternator off the shelf.
After taking it home and fitting it in the stock alternator bracket on my workbench, I was pleasantly surprised to find they fit shockingly well, with the diameter of the hole in the alternator boss being just slightly larger (21/64th of an inch) than the hole in the bracket. No big deal, right?
Au contraire. When fitted to the bottom of the engine block, the bracket and 12SI alternator afford almost no room for adjustment. Damn.
So, after spending yesterday making a bracket that bolts to the engine's lifting point at the top of the engine, I woke up this morning to realize that I'd selected to mount the alternator's pivot point in the one place that offers a wide range of motion, but damn near no adjustment. I'm no math whiz, so I can't tell you the geometry of the matter, but suffice it to say that the arc created by the alternator does not extend the fan belt's path enough the allow a belt to be fitted and tightened.
Anger sufficed. And it was that really crappy anger that stews up inside you because you know it's all your fault.
Anyway, after a couple cups of coffee, I've decided to make my own copy of Pangolin's bracketry, since I have a universal (and shiny) top bracket that shouldn't require any more modification than simply cutting it off and bolting it to the engine lifting point I'd previously used to mount the lower pivot. Likewise, it looks as if the mounting point used by their bracket will offer up a wide range of belt-tightening adjustment. Furthermore, it'll move the alternator up out of the depths of the engine bay, which will make future adjustment and replacement easier, as well as keep the damn thing up and out of the water when it comes time to ford some.
I will post pictures of this goddamn debacle as soon as I am finished.
