The size of the alternator is not an issue, it is the pivot point on the bracket. Flat belt alignment is critical. Besides fore/aft pulley alignment, the shafts must be parallel in the vertical and horizontal planes. If they are not, the belt is tighter on one side than the other. The wider the belt, the more critical the loading is (this should be a K6). The belt fails by shredding on one side as it comes apart. It is no fun to buy a $15-20 belt every month.
A v-belt is much more forgiving, but he would need a v belt ps setup, eliminate the ps, or use a short K6 with the tensioner on a custom bracket, in which case the problem is the same, alignment.
I have the 80’s 302 grandma car alternator setup on my ’67 mustang 351W if you need a pic and/or measurement. I don’t remember what setup is on my 5.0L ranger but I can measure it too. Let me know.
This is what I did, but its using an Explorer alternator, front cover and water pump. You could do it with the Mustang pieces, it would sit forward a bit more, can't remember exactly how much.
What is the big pulley on the other side of the engine...power steering?
Ya, its power steering. I'm using the original rack from the mustang. I calculated the rack length I needed when I built the suspension arms. The rack was within 1/2" of what was needed. So, I'm using that rack. Its easier to run power steering, than to get a new rack or de-power the one I have. I also need a pulley at that point on the engine anyways.
Flat belt alignment is critical. Besides fore/aft pulley alignment, the shafts must be parallel in the vertical and horizontal planes. If they are not, the belt is tighter on one side than the other. The wider the belt, the more critical the loading is (this should be a K6). The belt fails by shredding on one side as it comes apart. It is no fun to buy a $15-20 belt every month.
This is why I was trying to steer away from moving the alternator. I've built many go-karts, when I was younger, 3 of which ran off belts, like a lawn tractor (Had clutch to engage belt) . I went through so many belts, I'd have a spare of whatever size I used, and the guy at TSC recognized me whenever I bought a new one. This was before I owned a welder, and could make something strong enough, that it wouldn't flex.
I think I may make a new bracket for the alternator. That seems to be the majority vote. I think I'll be able to make it work. I did a lot of measuring tonight. I've got some numbers, and I'll see if I can come up with a design that will work. I'll try to make it adjustable, so I can move it fore/aft.
As I've mentioned before, I'm really getting tight on my budget for this car. I want my only expense on this alternator relocation to be in a new belt. So, I wont be getting a new alternator. It is tempting to just take off the alternator all together and be done with it. If I did that, and left the battery on a trickle whenever it was home, it would be fine. But, I'd hate to be stranded without being able to start the car, or without power for headlights at night.
I spent all day Saturday making a new alternator bracket. It wasn't as hard as I thought. The measuring/ design work took more time than the fabrication. I just wish I could test it out now, to see if the belt runs well. It will be months till the engine runs.
I wish it was possible to have made it out of aluminum. It is a lot heavier than the original bracket (which was aluminum). I used 1/4" and 1/8" plate to make it.
Anyways, this is what it looks like beside the original.
I like the clutch helper, how is the pedal compared to a stock Mustang?
I've never used a stock mustang clutch pedal, so I can't compare it. My mustang came with an automatic. I bought a T5, and that's why I had to make my own pedal. In terms of comparing it to other clutch pedals I've used, it still seems a bit stiff, and its not as smooth as I'd like. Its a huge improvement over my first attempt. Once I start driving it, I can tighten or loosen the spring, depending on how it feels while driving.
I have access to a machine shop at school now, so I hope to ream out the hole at the pivot of the pedal. I'll then press a bushing into it. I'm hoping this will make it a bit smoother, and help it to last longer.
Sorry I didn't notice your question earlier Rod, I just saw it now.
In the last week, I've made a hitch receiver, modified my fuel cell, and put steel plate in the 'trunk' of the car.
This is the fuel pump. It needed to be modified to reach the bottom of the tank. Its now ~1.5" longer.
They are held in by #10 stainless bolts. I haven't sealed them in yet, because the tank will need a really good cleaning before I finish it up (Lots of plastic shavings). I am sealing it with a gasoline safe gasket maker.
Today, I mounted the tank in the car, and put sheet metal along the bottom of the 'trunk'.
Lastly, I've also welded in nuts for all the mounting points for the seat belts. I'm hoping that I can make my nose cone this week. I'm just waiting on gel coat to start it.
I've got a list of things that I need to do before painting the frame. Currently, there are 19 things on that list. Every time I complete 2 tasks, I usually find another one that needs to be added to the list. I'm excited to be able to paint the frame.
The last couple days I've been making my nosecone. I used the mold I bought to make a standard size nosecone. I then cut it in half to make it taller. Today, I made my own little mold to be able to lay glass in the 6" gap I needed to fill. I made the new mold out of plywood, some carefully bent metal for the tight curve, and bolts to hold it together.
I used some saran wrap to cover the sheet metal and plywood because I ran out of PVA. I had to improvise. Because of that, I didn't want to use any gelcoat. I plan to smooth out everything and paint the nosecone anyways. I knew I wouldn't get it perfect. The opening is defiantly big.
Overall, its turning out really good so far. I wish I had time to start sanding it, so I could give it a base coat of paint. I added tape between the temporarily mounted nosecone and the scuttle. It looks like I can lower the height of the scuttle. I'm really happy about that, because my scuttle it way to high.
I have a radiator coming. Its a 65 Mustang radiator. Its the only radiator that I could find that could cool my engine, without being too big, or too pricey. It will be here in a week or two.
2x heaters for the garage. Both propane heaters that mount to the tank. 14,000btu's each. Winter is coming, and they were both really cheap.
Picture of the front, with everything sitting in place. The nosecone, radiator and fan aren't secured yet. You can tell by the dust on the car/ nosecone that I've been sanding. I'm bondo'ing the nosecone right now, and I've been doing a lot of sanding.
I don't know if I'll get much done in the next 2 weeks. I've got mid terms to do in school this week, and I have family here all next weekend.
The nosecone has been Bondo'd, and is currently painted black to match the gelcoat (will give it another color when I decide what color the car will be). The mounts for the nosecone are done, and the nosecone now sits on the car with pride!
The radiator mounts and rad fan mounts have also been made. The radiator fits very tightly in the nosecone. There is 1/4" clearance left and right and 1/2 top and bottom in the corners.
My grill has been started. In the pictures, it is just sitting in the nosecone. I will glass in some bolts on the inside of the nosecone to mount the grill.
Lastly, since I have the nosecone mounted now, I was able to lower the height of the scuttle by 2.5" and still be able to clear the engine. It makes a big difference. It was way to high before.
I've added another brace to the brake pedal support. It flexed a little bit before when I stood on it, but it is now very rigid.
I'm squeezing every minute I have free to work on the car. I am trying desperately to finish the parts which need to be welded to the frame, so I can get the frame painted. I only have 1-1.5 months maximum left before it gets too cold to paint the frame. I just ordered my POR-15 today. I have only 5 things left on my list of things to get done before paint.
I've order my shock today. I'm buying them through a Hot rod shop (Hortons Hot Rods) which is 40mins from my house. The are Aldan Eagle shocks. They are machined from billet aluminum, and make in the USA. I'm buying the 657 series, which use standard 2.5" x 10" springs. They will probably take 10 day to get here. They are by far the most expensive part of my build. The front springs are 450lbs/in and the rears are 220lbs/in.
I need to move my rear shock mounts to a better location, but I really need to have the shocks to be able to do that. This will most likely be the last thing I need to do before preparing for paint.
Last edited by maxlessca on December 22, 2008, 12:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
I don't have any pictures today, but I did get a lot of work done. After looking at my rear fenders with hatred for the last few months, I ripped them off and started to modify them. They need to be wider and longer. They were also mounted slightly too far forward and too high. And lastly, it never seemed like the fenders were straight.
So, I've decided to do one at a time. I first cut the fender down the middle, and made it 2" wider. I then cut pieces of metal to make it longer on both ends. As it turns out, at the ends of the fenders, it's 3/4" narrower than at the top of the fender. This had to be corrected as well.
For the last week, I've been working hard to make sure all the tubes are fully welded, and doing all the last minute things in preparation for paint. I hope to get my coilovers this week, so I can work on the final positioning of my suspension mounts. That is the only thing keeping me from stripping the frame down for paint.
I have been looking for new wheels ever since I started the project. I love the cobra wheels, which is what Rod's car has. But, even off e-bay, I will expect to be spending over a grand for a set of wheels and tires. The mustang bolt pattern is very rare, and there are only a limited number of different wheels available. I saw these, and thought they might look good on my car. And, they use stock tires, so I would have 2 sets of tires.
Some of my friends tell me that the stock ones I have now will look fine once polished. I don't want to waste money on unnecessary parts, but I don't like the stock wheels.
If you like how your car sits with the stock Mustang wheels I would try to make sure the offsets are the same for any aftermarket ones you buy, the wrong offset can change the whole look of the car or not even fit properly.
The offset is the same. I have checked.
First of all, I've got pictures of my fenders. They were cut into 4 pieces and metal was put into the spaces to make them larger. They are 2" wider and 10" longer (5" on each side). I've also made them a much better shape, which you can only see when they are on the car.
I've also welded in sheet metal to cover the sides of the tunnel. I will cover the top of the tunnel with aluminum. It will be removable.
And, most exciting of all, I have my coilovers!! They arrived yesterday. I drove 160km through a small snowstorm to make sure I had them for the weekend.
I've ordered Cleco's and Stainless steel rivets from Aircraft Spruce, which should arrive this week.
I also picked up my aluminum for the body. I got a good price on it, because I was clearing up a bit of old stock from Metal Supermarket.
For $170. I was expecting it to be $300 when I got a quote on it a year ago. I went with the thin 0.032 because I'm cheap. The .040 is regularly x2 the price here.
As for the tires I mentioned above from ebay, I didn't buy them. I don't want to spend the money on wheels right now. I can hopefully find a good deal on wheels another time.
You're moving with this build at a blazing rate!