Half inch deflection (never knew how hard to push to get that deflection
though) seems to be pretty standard advice.

Quicky tip: spread a bit of brake fluid on the contact surfaces of the
belts.  It conditions the rubber (just like inside the brake system), giving
a better grip on the pulleys.

Karl Wolz

|-----Original Message-----
|From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
|Katy Hahn
|Sent: Friday, March 05, 2010 9:35 AM
|To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
|Subject: GoWesty Alternator Bracket
|
|I have just put one of these on my '84 and thought I would comment on it:
|
|http://www.gowesty.com/library_article.php?id=1201
|
|It obviously side-steps the possible failure of those studs/holes in
|the block by using the much meatier holes made for the power steering
|unit.
|
|Comes with more parts than shown to accomodate installation on engines
|w/o a power steering pump (like mine).
|
|The mounting holes in the bracket allow some wiggle-room so care must
|be taken that the alternator (pulley) ends up in the same plane as the
|crank pulley.
|
|Biggest design concern I have is that the bracket only offers a rear
|support (the original had support for the lower alternator mount both
|front and rear.  This seems to put a lot of faith in that bolt which
|now must carry the load held only by the threads at its far end.  Just
|an ordinary 80mm bolt I think -- the kind I have bent from time to
|time.
|
|Other concern is that the lower bolt is held by threads tapped into
|the (1/4 inch) metal of the bracket.  I would have preferred to have
|seen a large nut welded on the bracket -- but I'm no engineer.
|
|At first when I just eyeballed the bracket I saw the ear with the
|threaded hole was not square with the plane of the crank.  Uh oh.  But
|then I did a trial fit of the lower bolt and saw that the threaded
|hole was just a bit crooked and thus the bolt ended up in the exact
|position it needed to be.  Odd, but perhaps they make the bracket then
|use a jig to bore the hole as needed.  I'm still not an engineer.
|
|Have a 5000 mile trip planned fo next month and beyond -- I will, of
|course, carry the old parts along just for luck.
|
|In summary: the appears well made, solves the problem it is meant to,
|time will tell if it is well-designed.
|
|One question for those still reading -- what is the thinking on belt
|tension?  On some of my old cars I keep the belt almost loose, but
|those are low-demand units.  On the Westy I have always kept the belt
|pretty tight (and yet can get a chirp out of it on hard acceleration
|with electric load occuring).
|
|The reason I ask:  If I could get away with a looser belt I would feel
|better about this design.
|
|Thanks!
|
|Geo