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Part Two of Tip 21. It's one thing to talk about it, another to get some metal, a welder and get to it.. this one goes a bit more in depth...
When installing a newer style 235 into a 47-55 1st Series truck, the water pump is too low and the fan does not take full advantage of the radiator. If you look at an original 216 setup, the fan is in the center of the radiator. Not so with a newer style 235 in your truck. The fan is about 2-1/2" lower. This has made for overheating problems, so my good friend Dave Folsom to the rescue! Dave made a water pump adapter plate for this purpose. This has been covered in a previous Tip of the Week. What has NOT been covered are the ramifications for your Alternator installation. Directly, just get a longer belt. A NAPA XL Premium 25-7440 works about perfect. Of course we won't just stop here.
In our case, we needed an Alternator Bracket to begin with. There are many ways to skin this cat. One of them is to use the old Generator Bracket (bottom) and using an 8 inch long piece of 3/8" All-Thread (3/8" round stock threaded all the way to accommodate a 3/8" nut) we can put a nut on the very end and weld it, then thread it through the first hole, add another nut 2 inches from the first one, then another nut just at the inside end of the Generator Bracket, then lockwasher and nut on the outside and call it a day. The Alternators are all 2 inches between the front and rear holes, so not hard to do.
Another way is to order an Alternator Bracket from one of the vendors. Problem is, someone didn't tell them the ones they sell are completely wrong for our engines. The bottom mount is for 5/16" bolts and have to be drilled for the engines 3/8" threads. Then, the top bracket does not work with Daves Adapter and the new Waterpump because the bolts are located differently. Most of us do not have a milling machine so it makes it hard to modify 3 elongated 5/16" holes for 3/8" bolts. This calls for another solution.
If you have some scrap 3/8" stock lying around that is 2" by 6-3/8" you can make your own bottom bracket. Weld a few tabs 2 inches apart and make two elongated 3/8" holes and you are in business. The harder part is what to do with the top bracket. Best to use an original Generator Bracket if you can find one because it is perfect for this. The last order of business is fixing the vendors straight top bracket which simply doesn't fit no matter what. Here we will just take a V-shape out of it and bend it to fit properly. The angle is 45 degrees.
In experimenting with the best way to make this bracket, I tried moving the bottom away from the engine, raising the alternator higher, etc, etc. In the end, it is just fine mounted at the bottom of the engine right where the bottom Generator Bracket used to be. The idea is to make a stable and reliable mount for your alternator. Turns out when you use Daves Waterpump Adapter Plate, the old original Generator Bracket (top) works perfect or modify the one from the vendors. Personally, I do not like rigging up a bunch of washers or spacers and stuffing a long bolt through the old Generator Bracket. It works, but it doesn't look like it belongs there. With a little creativity, you can make something that will last forever and looks great! Seeya Next Week!!
When installing a newer style 235 into a 47-55 1st Series truck, the water pump is too low and the fan does not take full advantage of the radiator. If you look at an original 216 setup, the fan is in the center of the radiator. Not so with a newer style 235 in your truck. The fan is about 2-1/2" lower. This has made for overheating problems, so my good friend Dave Folsom to the rescue! Dave made a water pump adapter plate for this purpose. This has been covered in a previous Tip of the Week. What has NOT been covered are the ramifications for your Alternator installation. Directly, just get a longer belt. A NAPA XL Premium 25-7440 works about perfect. Of course we won't just stop here.
In our case, we needed an Alternator Bracket to begin with. There are many ways to skin this cat. One of them is to use the old Generator Bracket (bottom) and using an 8 inch long piece of 3/8" All-Thread (3/8" round stock threaded all the way to accommodate a 3/8" nut) we can put a nut on the very end and weld it, then thread it through the first hole, add another nut 2 inches from the first one, then another nut just at the inside end of the Generator Bracket, then lockwasher and nut on the outside and call it a day. The Alternators are all 2 inches between the front and rear holes, so not hard to do.
Another way is to order an Alternator Bracket from one of the vendors. Problem is, someone didn't tell them the ones they sell are completely wrong for our engines. The bottom mount is for 5/16" bolts and have to be drilled for the engines 3/8" threads. Then, the top bracket does not work with Daves Adapter and the new Waterpump because the bolts are located differently. Most of us do not have a milling machine so it makes it hard to modify 3 elongated 5/16" holes for 3/8" bolts. This calls for another solution.
If you have some scrap 3/8" stock lying around that is 2" by 6-3/8" you can make your own bottom bracket. Weld a few tabs 2 inches apart and make two elongated 3/8" holes and you are in business. The harder part is what to do with the top bracket. Best to use an original Generator Bracket if you can find one because it is perfect for this. The last order of business is fixing the vendors straight top bracket which simply doesn't fit no matter what. Here we will just take a V-shape out of it and bend it to fit properly. The angle is 45 degrees.
In experimenting with the best way to make this bracket, I tried moving the bottom away from the engine, raising the alternator higher, etc, etc. In the end, it is just fine mounted at the bottom of the engine right where the bottom Generator Bracket used to be. The idea is to make a stable and reliable mount for your alternator. Turns out when you use Daves Waterpump Adapter Plate, the old original Generator Bracket (top) works perfect or modify the one from the vendors. Personally, I do not like rigging up a bunch of washers or spacers and stuffing a long bolt through the old Generator Bracket. It works, but it doesn't look like it belongs there. With a little creativity, you can make something that will last forever and looks great! Seeya Next Week!!