Alternator 3 to 9 o'clock conversion...

[ironmoo]

Has anyone converted a 3:00 to a 9:00 position for your alternator? If so, please let me know how it turned out.



I'm having trouble finding a new alternator (mine is a 9:00,) in my '82. Finding a 9:00 that is rebuilt is no problem but I wanted a new one and all the shops I've called or visited are unable to locate it. At Napa auto, it indicated 9:00 on the stock number and still when I opened up the box, to the dismay of both me and the helpful employee...3:00 position! We ordered a couple from the warehouse and same story.

So I called Ecklers and was checking out the chrome 85 amp and sure enough, they only have a 3:00 position. The tech suggested to loosen the 4 bolts on the back housing and carefully spin the back 180 degrees and snap back into place. The problem I found is the top and bottom brackets on the casing bumps into the 4 bolt housing causing me to pull farther back on the back case to create clearance to spin the 180.



I tested this with the old alternator and it seems to work, however in doing this I pulled too far and the shaft came out okay but the springs/contacts popped out. Are there any suggestions on how to keep the springs and contacts in place while replacing the shaft?

So options are:

1) get the chrome alternator and spin it myself hoping the shaft does not come out too far when clearing the housing. (Thus causing the springs and 2 contacts pop out.)

2) go with a 1 one wire Alternator (which I've researched on this forum, but still wonder what problems that may lead to in a '82)

3) replace with a rebuilt 9:00 alternator and grumble over it.





Any thoughts or advice will be appreciated!

-Moo!

 

[Hib Halverson]

Do #1.

If the brushes pop out, split the alternator, pushed the brushes back in the older and hold them in place with a tooth pick. put the alternator back together than extract the tooth pick out the back of the rear endframe.

The instructions on how to do this should be in the service manual.

 

[ironmoo]

Thanks for the quick reply. I knew there had to be a good low-tech way of doing that.

-Moo!

 

[Curtis]

i always used a paper clip to hold the brushes in place. was afraid anything softer might break the end and get stuck in there with the brushes.

 

[wallyknoch]

The simplest way is the following and accomplished in less than 5 minutes, start to finish. We sell loads of our top of the line alternators and not always are they clocked the proper position. We simply do the following,

1, with a impact gun and holding the pulley with a gloved hand, remove the nut holding the pulley and fan.
2. depending on the alt, remove the bolts holding the cases together, either 3 or 4.
3, Pull up on the front case about 3/4 of an inch holding the rotor in the back case from lifting then rotate the front case to the clocking position you need.
4, reverse the procedure and your all done.

PS, If you separated the two cases by leaving the pulley and fan attached to the front case the brushes will come apart. and you will have to pin the brushes with a paper clip or toothpick and then reassemble the alt as others have instructed in the above replys.