[riggsjr]

My alternator only adjusts about an 1/2" in as it hits the valve cover.I am maxed all the way out on my adjustment. Something is not right.I assume it is the wrong alternator.

[John V.]

You don't say anything about your application.

'64 or '65, standard or power steering?

I have no expertise in visually identifying alternators but I wonder if perhaps your alternator has the wrong "clocking" for a Pontiac application and that is causing the interference?

Correct water pump?

Do you have the correct year water pump pulley?

Correct year balancer assembly?

Correct alternator bracket for the application?

Correct length belt?

Do the pulley grooves all align?

Mismatch of parts usually the problem.

But my first thought is the alt case clocking.

Hopefully some alternator experts will chime in.

[riggsjr]

John V. thanks for the response.Hopefully more people will chime in.I am looking forward to a few shows in the next coming weeks to do a comparison check.I can answer a few of your questions.

Correct water pump?............................................. not sure

Do you have the correct year water pump pulley?......not sure

Correct year balancer assembly?..............................not sure

Correct alternator bracket for the application?............not sure

Correct length belt?............................................. ....yes

Do the pulley grooves all align?.................................yes

Mismatch of parts usually the problem......................I agree.Something in there is mis matched

But my first thought is the alt case clocking.................Yes the casing is what is hitting.Maybe wrong alternator. Hopefully someone else chimes in and can do a comparison .

Also it is a 1965 GTO with no power steering.

[John V.]

Found this pic in another thread of a '65 set-up. Might help some.

Looks like same case clocking as yours.

The clearance looks tight anyway.

What is your belt dimension? Can you install it or does the Alt need to move inward to get it on the pulley?

Could your strap be attached to the wrong point on the engine? Or maybe angled up too high?

[riggsjr]

John V.yes they look identical.The picture you sent me has yours closer to center of the car especially if you look at the flat bracket. Looks like mine can be a mounting problem maybe? But yours is close also.Again mine will NOT move all but an inch closer to the center of the car before it hits the valve cover.If I move mine that 1 inch to get it closer I can barely get the belt off.Something is not right.

[1969GTO]

take a pic of the front on the engine with the alt mounted.

[riggsjr]

John V here are a few more pics that might help.

[John V.]

Hopefully you have the Resto Guide.

Refer to page 366.

As 1969GTO suggests, a picture from the front might help.

Need to confirm that your bracket is mounted to the head as illustrated in the Resto Guide.

I'm also assuming you have original '65 heads with the accessory bracket bolt holes where you need them. If you have later heads, perhaps the accessory bracket hole locations had been changed.

What are the nos. on the Alternator?

Although it looks like a correct Model 10DN Delcotron, but I'm not familiar enough with them to know if there was a larger case version that looked very much the same but with a longer dimension.

[1969GTO]

Also, what about rotating the rear half of the alt case?

[riggsjr]

I do not have the Resto Guide.I know for a fact that I do have an SR motor.I will get you a few pictures of the front which 1969GTO suggests which might break the code.

[John V.]

This doesn't give the part descriptions but is a copy of the same Illustration showing the 37A alternator without PS.

See if it matches to your installation.

SR only would be the block. The heads, balancer, and water pump would be more useful to know about.

Don't forget to get the nos. off the alt so we can try to identify it.

[riggsjr]

I had these pics loaded on my computer and noticed the paper stamp on my alternator. #7122. If you punch that up on goggle #7122 alternator one comes up looking like mine.If you look at the other picture it is the nub to the right on the wiring harness that is hitting the valve cover. I would assume that should pass the valve cover.I am thinking more and more that it is the wrong alternator.I will try to get more pics tomorrow of the front to get to the bottom of this.

[bill ryder]

This is a 64... "Bill"!

[johnta1]

Yours is probably a remanufactured unit.

If you look at Bill's alternator, the 2 wire connector is to the left (as you look at the back of it) of the bolt that goes to the top bracket.

Yours is in line with that bolt.

Rotate the back case half to the left one bolt hole of the case bolts.
(in relation to front half)

Should give you plenty of room then I think.

[rexs73gto]

If you look at the post of the pic on post #4 you will see the alt. is sitting lower then the one on your first few pics. I think what has happened is that you have put the alt. bracket 1 bolt hole up higher in the head & the alt. is now sitting up a bit to high which is causing it to hit the back of the alt. on the valve cover . If you move your bracket down to the next hole in the head lower I think everything will line back up where it should & then the alt. will have it's adjustment back. There has been a couple of times I've put my alt. bracket in the wrong holes & it would line up where it should but the belt would fit & line up but it was incorrect with other items, for you it you alt. against the valve cover. Take a good look at it & you'll see it.

[riggsjr]

Ok. I will look tomorrow and see what I have going on. This is the way I got the car and was noticing a little squeal in the fan belt and went to adjust it with no adjustment.

[Zimtok]

The top slotted bracket may be too short.
If you look at the photos of the other mountings the top slotted bracket seems to be longer. Your alternator seems to be at the end of the slot while the other photos show the alternator in the middle or even closer in toward the water pump.

Wasn't there two length top brackets used?
A shorter one for use with power steering and a longer one for use without power steering.

Well maybe not, now that I look t it they look the same length.


.

[Zimtok]

Maybe the casting of the alternator has the pivot mount casting too far forward.
I think I've seen the pivot mount casting on alternators located differently on different alternators.
This also will result in the belts not aligning properly. So it is possible that the pulleys may not be correct for this engine.

I once had a setup that required me to put a 3/4" spacer behind the alternator bracket to get the pulleys to align properly.

.

[My64GTO]

No, you're right, they did have 2 brackets but I'm not sure if they were 2 different sizes. Ames has both listed in the catalog but only one picture: N142AD and N142C.

Everything looks right to me. Not sure what the back story on this is but is anything else new with this set up? Water pump pulley? Belt?

Originally Posted by Zimtok

The top slotted bracket may be too short.
If you look at the photos of the other mountings the top slotted bracket seems to be longer. Your alternator seems to be at the end of the slot while the other photos show the alternator in the middle or even closer in toward the water pump.

Wasn't there two length top brackets used?
A shorter one for use with power steering and a longer one for use without power steering.

Well maybe not, now that I look t it they look the same length.


.

[pfilean]

Not meaning to muddy the waters here but I had a thought. Looking at John V's attached sketch I wonder if it's possible to lose item 3 in the sketch and still get the alternator mounted. Looks like a piece someone could easily overlook but might space the alternator wrong by an inch or so. If you could still get the alternator on that might make the difference.