Decided to install my alternator today. Made some progress but still have some work to do. The progress I made today can be amounted to 'fitting' the alternator in the place of the old one. To be honest, it was stupid easy. I have had this alternator for about a year just sitting in a box. All the threads I read suggested I would have to lengthen the adjustment bracket and clock the casing but none of this was needed. I am not sure at this point what this came out of but I think it was a mustang Anyway, I am happy it fit so easily. Even the width of the hole in the casing for the pivot bolt was exactly the same at 3" wide.

I threaded the hole for the adjustment bolt, removed the 'nub' from the back and bolted it in for a test fit. Here it is:









A side note on the pulley... The POS tin OEM pulley easy bent as I was removing it. I happened to ask about a replacement at the parts store and they had boxes of used pulleys they had removed from brand new units they had replaced when other customers applications required doing so. This pulley is way better than what was on there and looks tougher as well. I guess alternator pulley shafts are pretty much a common size so anyone ever needing one can keep this in mind.

 

Oh yeah... The old alternator worked fine but I am planning future mods that will demand more power and I like the simplicity and reliability that comes with these alternators.

But now there is no going back as the hardware was being stubborn so I kinda jacked up what could have been the original motorcraft alternator.

 

I tapped the adjustment bolt hole to a 7/16-14 thread. Since it is aluminum, I just tapped threads without drilling; the hole was the perfect size for this.



I also had to open up the adjustment bracket 'slide' with a dremel grinder so the 7/16" bolt will fit.

 

Excellent. Sometimes progress has its cost. You'll be happy with it... I sure as heck am with the monster Lincoln fan I am running.

I see you too have the low-mount as I do on my 73... I figure it's due to the air pump that was originally equipped.

 

Hmmm. If this had an air pump it has long been removed. This is a 75 F100 with a 390. Maybe the low mount deal makes this super easy...

Stupid question... I noticed all my accessory bracket hardware is grade 5 without washers. I am going to get some new grade 8 bolts but was wondering whether flat washers or lock washers were preferred. I appreciate any feedback on this.

 

I got the wiring harness off... It is a mess. Note the wire-nuts. Previous owners... I will save this until the job is done but I don't think this is worth saving; considering the possibility of reverting back to the stock alternator. I am definitely committed to seeing this through.

 

I bet if you dissect that harness you will find that one or two of the wires are extra long and double-backed on itself before the factory worker wrapped it.

Press on!

 

Dumb question... Is the horn wire supposed to run through the alternator harness? Before I separate and chase this one down I figure I should check to make sure its actually the horn wire.

 

Last question... The elusive red on green excite wire. The write-ups say it is one of the wires going to the two-prong connector. Is this correct? These were subject to someone's over-spray and the colors are hard to make out.

 

And lastly my screw up of the day... I was swapping out the accessory bracket hardware with grade 8; again previous owner rant - some idiot thought grade 5 was a good idea. Anyway I was breaking torque and the ratchet slipped and went through the radiator. It already had a pin-hole leak that the radiator shop couldn't fix but this ensures I will not be limping along any more; its gotta be replaced.



Good thing this is coming up...

 

A coupla images below for your reference....

Use some Goo-Gone to remove the overspray. If that doesn't work, step up to mineral spirits/paint thinner. Then enamel reducer if stubborn. And finally if uber stubborn..... lacquer thinner. Be quick with the last two.. they can eat wiring color fast.

Thanks for the heads up on PnP.... hopefully the little PnP elves are stocking the yard with Dents and Bumps.... I'm looking for seats out of a mid 80s BMW too... it's a long story.

 

As always... Responses with accurate & substance. Thanks... Very helpful.

Hey do you 'bag' the unused connectors?

 

'Glad to help visualize.

I applied heat shrink "long" and then folded the long end back and zip-tied it over the connector.

 

So.... What did you do for your ammeter, or do you have a light? I have one that was hacked by a previous owner, and didn't have the long, doubled back wires anymore, that supposedly fed the meter. Is there a way to do it with a 3G, or will it just peg it/burn it out?

 

Use this 1G-3G Conversion (462802C) - PA Performance.com if you would like to keep your ammeter functional.