Fiat 124 Spider, a project car with an accent

[hotrodalex]

I would just put a couple of shims or spacers between the alternator or bracket. Then, in a few months you'll probably figure out how to actually fix it.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Duud, just get longer bolts for the alternator mounts and get soem washers or nuts to space it out.

[Rupert]

If I could, I would.

The alternator has two mounting points. The top mounts to a bracket with a slot in it to allow for adjusting the belt tension. The bottom mount has a tab on the front and on the back, and the tabs hug a pivot mount. Since the alternator tabs hug the mount, there's no way to move it back of forth. The mounts themselves don't seem to be able to adjust, either.

[Eye of the Tiger]

If I could, I would.

The alternator has two mounting points. The top mounts to a bracket with a slot in it to allow for adjusting the belt tension. The bottom mount has a tab on the front and on the back, and the tabs hug a pivot mount. Since the alternator tabs hug the mount, there's no way to move it back of forth. The mounts themselves don't seem to be able to adjust, either.

Grind the shit down.

[Rupert]

Apparently, the alternator is supposed to be on the other side with this engine. Not sure how it ever worked on the passenger side, but that's where the wiring is. I believe the PO was pretty D, as it turns out. I know he lied to me about the floor pans.

I guess I'd better figure out how to mount the thing on the driver side...

[Rupert]

Grind the shit down.

Actually... Tempting.

[shp4man]

Where's the old alternator? Did it have good pulley alignment? Or a double groove pulley?

[Rupert]

Old alternator is gone.

Er, maybe not... There is a huge pile of parts in my garage, so it's probably in there.

Another suggestion from the Fiat forum was to take the water pump pulley from the other engine. The crankshaft pulley is a triple, and has a smaller pulley aligned right.

[MrH]

I'm really wondering if this would even be funny in Germany or not. Mike?

Nein.

[Rupert]

I have old alternators, but pulley distances are the same. I can't mount it on the intake side of the engine (not where the wiring is) without a huge ordeal. I could modify the bracket on the exhaust side to move it forward, but that's kind of sketchy. I don't want to use the other water pump pulley on the water pump in the engine, because then I have to get a shorter belt and the water pump and alternator would turn more slowly (crank pulley in that position is smaller).

I think I may be able to weld a pulley from one of the other water pumps to the one I have. I need to measure it and then get the rusty nut off the old alternator to get the pulley off. I think this is the best solution, and it gives me time to order some new coolant hoses and a new thermostat (might as well with the coolant out).

Better solution would be to just buy a pulley that fit right in the first place.

[Rupert]

Alright, I think I know what to do. I can cut out the part of one of the pulleys that mounts to the alternator and weld it to the back of the other pulley. That will scoot it forward just about the perfect amount. (Er, I can have someone else do this for me...). The water pump pulley I have would move the water pump too far back, anyway. I sure hope the alternator is good, dammit.

Quite the effort to get the other pulley off the alternator. Pretty much took the thing apart from the back so I could find a way to jam something in there to keep the shaft from turning, then clamped the thing to the bench, then ended up cutting a slot in the nut part way, soaking everything with PB, squeezing the nut with vise grips to try to flex it around the slot, and then, after bending my nice new punch ( ), finally the thing moved.

I also figured out what's up with most of the hanging wires-- two are for the radiator fan temp sender, and two are for the oil pressure gauge and light.

I think I can get this done next weekend.

I smell like PB Blaster.

[Secret Chimp]

PB Blaster has done more to get weird smells on my tools and catch-a-drip cardboard than actually loosen anything.

[280Z Turbo]

It's good for l00bing threads behind a nut.

[AutobahnSHO]

Your capacity for automotive torture is quite impressive.

[Rupert]

When you have another fun car already, it's easier to chill out about dumb shit like this alternator.

[Rupert]

PB Blaster has done more to get weird smells on my tools and catch-a-drip cardboard than actually loosen anything.

It seems to function about like the other smelly stuff I've tried. Liquid Wrench is just OK, WD40 is the same...

[ChrisV]

Alright, new problem. I put the alternator in with much struggle (fucking bolts too long to clear the radiator...), but the spinny part where the belt goes on is 1 cm to far back from the rest of the spinny belt things (goddammit, I know the name for those, really I do). I can't figure out how and/or if there's supposed to be an adjustment, but the mount can only mount in one place, and the alternator can only mount to the mount in one way. It's supposed to be the correct alternator. Any ideas?

yeah, that's definitely on the wrong side. Here's where it's supposed to mount on that engine:



I guess jury-rigging it in place is a fine idea, but I'd hate to have it mount under the exhaust header.

[shp4man]

My guess is at some point, dude yanked the smog pump and put that alternator there. Or, that's a California car or something. I don't really know shite about Fiats.
Alternator pulleys are best removed with a 1/2 drive impact wrench. And also put back on. 

This fits a GM alternator:

[ChrisV]

My guess is at some point, dude yanked the smog pump and put that alternator there. Or, that's a California car or something.[/img]

Well, if it's a 2 liter, it's from a smogged car, but the car itself is a '72. What he needs is the alternator and brackets for the 2 liter. Without that, then fabbing the '72's alternator to the location it's in will have to do.

[Rupert]

I'm not even sure which engine the alternator is for. Mounting it on the correct driver's side would require moving a bunch of stuff around, and even then, I'm not sure it would fit because of the radiator fan. I also didn't see the bracket I'd need in a cursory check of the parts websites.

I'm not too worried about the headers being there. There's a bunch of room, and the early engines mounted the thing there, anyway. My main concern is that this alternator will be bad, in which case I'd probably want to replace it with an upgraded unit, in which case, who knows if the pulley I'll have made will fit. :P

[Rupert]

My guess is at some point, dude yanked the smog pump and put that alternator there. Or, that's a California car or something. I don't really know shite about Fiats.
Alternator pulleys are best removed with a 1/2 drive impact wrench. And also put back on. 

This fits a GM alternator:

If I had an idea where to get a different pulley that was already spaced right, I'd be all over it!

[MrH]

Your capacity for automotive torture is quite impressive.

This is very true.  This thread just sounds painful.  Cool car and all, but tons of work.

[Rupert]

Eh, I have a pile of leave in December. I need something to do.

[2o6]

If I had an idea where to get a different pulley that was already spaced right, I'd be all over it!

Yugo? Those are just Fiats in drag, anyways.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Eh, I have a pile of leave in December. I need something to do.

The Dragon

[Rupert]

Done it.

[Rupert]

Yugo? Those are just Fiats in drag, anyways.

So much so, they're probably the same.

Not really, but I'm not about to spend a month searching for a Yugo or anything else in a junk yard to measure the pulleys. :P

I picked up the pulley + spacer yesterday, and it looks good, so I think Fiat will drive on Monday.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Done it.

In the snow?

[Rupert]

No. Be there in a week.

[Soup DeVille]

So much so, they're probably the same.

Not really, but I'm not about to spend a month searching for a Yugo or anything else in a junk yard to measure the pulleys. :P

I picked up the pulley + spacer yesterday, and it looks good, so I think Fiat will drive on Monday.

If you send me a pic or something with the measurements, I can look through one of my boxes of random assed parts.