Author Topic: Alternator adjuster "bracket" for racing car  (Read 11717 times)

Offline AdeV

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Alternator adjuster "bracket" for racing car
« on: July 31, 2012, 07:17:22 PM »
Just to prove I haven't been totally bone idle for the last couple of weeks  :Doh:

When I last raced, at Anglesey in June, the alternator bracket snapped just before my practice session, resulting in a boil up & qualifying in last place... We repaired it & carried on; but the next race, after practice & just before the race, the bracket again failed.

Therefore: Something Must Be Done About This.

The answer is a simple 2-part bracket; one part attaches firmly to the alternator, and has a threaded bar sticking out of it. The second part attaches firmly to the engine, and has a slot for the aforementioned threaded bar to slide through. The belt is adjusted by winding a bolt nut down the threaded bar, until the correct tension is achieved; then a second bolt nut is tightened against the other side of the engine side bracket to hold the whole shebang in place.

Hmm. Pictures might help...



The "bracket" is a simple block, with a pocket cut in it. The mounting ear of the alternator sits in the pocket, and a bolt goes through the hole & out the other side, allowing it to be bolted firmly in place.

In the picture above, the block is being set up to be milled to the correct angle so the threaded bar will be positioned correctly. Although the sine bar is an extremely accurate way of setting angles, I'm doing all of this by eye, it only needs to be there or thereabouts.

So, having got the angle & scribed the line, the whole lot is attached to the mill:



The sine bar & gauge blocks are removed, and the block milled down to the line. It is then drilled & tapped for a 1/2" UNC bar:



Next operation will be to drill & pin the bar in place. But, before I do that, I'll need to mount it to the engine to get the length. So, it's time to start on the engine bracket.

First, carve a piece of aluminium off the stock (the stock is some of what's left over from the sump project):



The block was then squared up & brought to size on the mill.

Now.... there's no point in having a shiny new CNC milling machine, and then not using it.... so, I knocked up a program to cut the pocket. Not being quite brave enough to jump straight into it, I used some wax to make sure it was correct. It was worth it too, I discovered a small bug in the program which left some bits unmilled...




So... sphincter duly puckered, I loaded the aluminium -



-  and pressed the brown trouser button:



So far, so good...



Finished! A quick polish with one of Rob Wilson's patented cloths:



Unfortunately, my cloth is worn out  :palm:

Tomorrow, another trial fit so I can get the length of the bar just right, and the adjustment slot in the right place... if you're lucky, I'll get some pics of the other things I've made for the car recently...
« Last Edit: August 01, 2012, 04:33:52 AM by AdeV »
Cheers!
Ade.
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Occasionally: Zhengzhou, China. An even longer way from anywhere...

Offline AdeV

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Re: Alternator adjuster "bracket" for racing car
« Reply #1 on: July 31, 2012, 07:41:32 PM »
The CNC program above is actually not the first one... I surfaced the block on the CNC machine as well. I also used it to cut the pocket out of the first block. I took a video of that one: It's 10 mins long, most of which is quite boring, but it went straight from camera to youtube, so I haven't done any editing...

Anyway, if you're into watching CNC do its stuff, enjoy:
 


The jumps are something to do with the video, the machine itself is nice and smooth, apart from when the cutter picked up some ali & vibrated like buggery of course.
Cheers!
Ade.
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Offline micktoon

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Re: Alternator adjuster "bracket" for racing car
« Reply #2 on: August 01, 2012, 02:52:50 AM »
Hi Ade, its looking good  :clap: , I had just been thinking last night there had not been anything else mentioned about your CNC mill so glad to see its up and running  :thumbup:
  Cheers Mick.

Offline Stilldrillin

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Re: Alternator adjuster "bracket" for racing car
« Reply #3 on: August 01, 2012, 03:40:58 AM »

Hi Ade.

It was a bit early, when I first skimmed through......... All those pics of real swarf!  :drool:

But, I couldn't make Edna Tale of what you were making.......  :scratch:

The answer is a simple 2-part bracket; one part attaches firmly to the alternator, and has a threaded bar sticking out of it. The second part attaches firmly to the engine, and has a slot for the aforementioned threaded bar to slide through. The belt is adjusted by winding a bolt down the threaded bar, until the correct tension is achieved; then a second bolt is tightened against the other side of the engine side bracket to hold the whole shebang in place.

Studying again, I thought, NUTS!!!  (I'm a bit clever like that, sometimes)........ And, the light came on!  :)


Good to see, you've got the hang of your new mill, and what your making with it......   :clap: :clap:

David D
David.

Still drilling holes... Sometimes, in the right place!

Still modifying bits of metal... Occasionally, making an improvement!

Offline AdeV

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Re: Alternator adjuster "bracket" for racing car
« Reply #4 on: August 01, 2012, 04:35:28 AM »
Doh!  :Doh: :doh:

Thanks for pointing that out David. I don't know when it happened, but somehow the definitions of "nut" and "bolt" have become cross-wired in my brain; whenever I say "bolt" I mean "nut", and vice versa; unless I'm really concentrating...

Cheers!
Ade.
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lordedmond

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Re: Alternator adjuster "bracket" for racing car
« Reply #5 on: August 01, 2012, 08:44:47 AM »
Ade


bolts have threads on the out side and nuts have threads on the inside  :Doh:


just remember its righty tighty. and lefty loosy.  unless its the other way

looks like you adopt the old fashioned engineering practices if it breaks then make it stronger , then the next weakest thingy breaks , then its over weight and and pulls like an Acto powered nissen hut   :)


Stuart



Offline AdeV

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Re: Alternator adjuster "bracket" for racing car
« Reply #6 on: August 01, 2012, 10:38:41 AM »
Ah yes, Lefty Lucy etc... works fine unless you're underneath the nut in which case it's Righty Lucy - unlesss it's a left-hand thread of course...

TBH, I find a good dose of oxy-acetylene cures most nut/bolt related problems. And a good fire extinguisher cures most oxy-acetylene related problems  :palm: And if all else fails, it's out with the Birmingham Screwdrivers  :hammer:

Quote
then its over weight and and pulls like an Acto powered nissen hut

Which is when you add a turbocharger, or a supercharger (whichever you haven't already fitted). Or a bigger engine. Or even both... Of course, that's when the whole "weakest part" cycle starts again  :zap:

I should probably draw the parts up in SolidWorks; I  believe that COSMOS (which I have a copy of, somewhere) does stress/strain analysis, so i could probably use the CNC to lighten the bracket up again without losing too much strength. Or, I could have a beer. Hmmm Beer.  :drool:
Cheers!
Ade.
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Location: Wallasey, Merseyside. A long way from anywhere.
Occasionally: Zhengzhou, China. An even longer way from anywhere...

Offline Stilldrillin

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Re: Alternator adjuster "bracket" for racing car
« Reply #7 on: August 01, 2012, 02:16:33 PM »
Ade.

Have a beer....... I'm getting headache!  :palm:

David D
David.

Still drilling holes... Sometimes, in the right place!

Still modifying bits of metal... Occasionally, making an improvement!

Offline AdeV

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Re: Alternator adjuster "bracket" for racing car
« Reply #8 on: August 03, 2012, 02:30:37 PM »
I have now "finished" the brackets (I may use the CNC to pocket them out to make them lighter in future - or maybe not):







So, the idea is, the big block bolts to the engine; the small one to the alternator. The stud is fixed in place in the small block, and passes through the slot on the large block. The inside flange nut (!) is then wound down the stud, pushing the alternator outwards until the belt is tight. The outer nut is then tightened against the block to make a lock-nut effect, preventing the inner nut from working loose (time will tell - but it's no hassle to put a 2nd nut on the threaded bar, if the single one tends to work loose.

Tomorrow, I will fit it to the engine and, all being well, that's another bug crossed off the list.
Cheers!
Ade.
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Offline Stilldrillin

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Re: Alternator adjuster "bracket" for racing car
« Reply #9 on: August 03, 2012, 03:43:03 PM »
Ade.
That looks rather nice, and technical.  :thumbup:

Well done!  :clap:  :clap:


The last alternator belt adjuster I saw, was a curved slot, in a curved piece of 1/4" steel..... And the alternator was a dynamo.

Guess things have moved on a bit.........   :)

David D
David.

Still drilling holes... Sometimes, in the right place!

Still modifying bits of metal... Occasionally, making an improvement!

Offline andyf

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Re: Alternator adjuster "bracket" for racing car
« Reply #10 on: August 04, 2012, 05:37:49 AM »
Ade, do you really need an alternator at all? Wouldn't a fully charged battery get you through a race or two? There would be a weight saving, and alternators absorb a bit of engine power.

Andy
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I've cut the end off it twice, but it's still too short

lordedmond

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Re: Alternator adjuster "bracket" for racing car
« Reply #11 on: August 04, 2012, 09:28:39 AM »
I doubt it as the current draw for the fuel pumps , oil pump and ECU would ad up to a fair wack , if the Vdc when down just a tad then the ecu would got tits up



dont forget Ade need his air con on as well  :D

Offline andyf

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Re: Alternator adjuster "bracket" for racing car
« Reply #12 on: August 04, 2012, 10:20:28 AM »
I doubt it as the current draw for the fuel pumps , oil pump and ECU would ad up to a fair wack , if the Vdc when down just a tad then the ecu would got tits up



dont forget Ade need his air con on as well  :D

Dunno whether Ade's fuel and oil pumps are electrical or mechanical, and I'm not sure if race cars have emission control .

Good point about the air con, though with our current "summer" weather he is more likely to need the heater.  :)

Andy 
Sale, Cheshire
I've cut the end off it twice, but it's still too short

Offline AdeV

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Re: Alternator adjuster "bracket" for racing car
« Reply #13 on: August 04, 2012, 06:01:06 PM »
Yeah, it needs an alternator.... it takes quite a bit to start from cold -  not so bad once warmed up; 3 electric fuel pumps (2 lift, 1 high-pressure), oil pump is mechanical, and the aircon switch is broken, so no worries there... but what with the ECU as well, running without an alternator is a big risk.

Anyway... mounted it up today, tightened up the bolts and it works a treat. No pics, went straight on with bus work which took the rest of the evening, then discovered the driver's side damper has leaked again. Damn thing, so had to take that off. That needs to go back to Avo for repair, again.
Cheers!
Ade.
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Offline Gabby

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Re: Alternator adjuster "bracket" for racing car
« Reply #14 on: August 11, 2012, 04:39:42 AM »
   :drool:  Any pictures of the race car would be nice pleeeeze :thumbup:
Cheers
Gabby

lordedmond

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Re: Alternator adjuster "bracket" for racing car
« Reply #15 on: August 11, 2012, 10:49:51 AM »
Search And ye shall find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow   :doh:


http://madmodder.net/index.php/topic,7075.msg80040.html#msg80040


Stuart

Offline AdeV

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Re: Alternator adjuster "bracket" for racing car
« Reply #16 on: August 12, 2012, 05:27:05 PM »
Unfortunately, no new photos today as I stupidly left my camera in my car instead of taking it with me to the track.

Raced @ Mallory Park; had a fairly crap qualifying, was just starting to get into the groove when an engine fault meant I couldn't improve my time, so had to stop. The fault appeared to be fuel pickup, but actually turned out to be one of the bungs in the manifold had come out again. There's a machining job to be done there fairly soon...

So, I qualified a lowly 23rd out of 28, but got a demon start & was up to 14th before the 1st corner. Unfortunately, that was as high as I was to get, despite being punted off into a spin on lap 9, I finished 14th & 3rd in class. Cracking race though, the Capri really is fun when it's on full song.

There's still plenty to do though; the front is still a bit reluctant to turn in at times, so I think the snowplough might be back next year, along with the wide front wheels; just need to make some hubs to allow us to create the double wishbone setup.
Cheers!
Ade.
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Offline NickG

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Re: Alternator adjuster "bracket" for racing car
« Reply #17 on: August 14, 2012, 01:57:40 PM »
Nice one Ade ... CNC looks scary to me!   :thumbup:
Location: County Durham (North East England)

Rob.Wilson

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Re: Alternator adjuster "bracket" for racing car
« Reply #18 on: August 14, 2012, 04:46:35 PM »
 :thumbup: Nice one Ade  :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

Good to see your getting stuck into CNC , how are you finding it ?


Rob