Pictures of the Week November 16, 2006
Today the hold down clamps were modified for the final assembly of the alternator to the engine. Once the alternator was torqued down in place there was a very slight clearance fit that allowed the alternator to be rotated. The hold down clamps were put on the belt sander and .006" was removed from the thickness of each clamp. They originally measured .245" thick and now they are both .239" thick. The alternator was reinstalled and torqued down and the fit was perfect. Originally the hold down bolts were 5/16" x 1/2" hex head bolts. When I got the drive coupling installed these bolts turned out to be very difficult to install. Because of the overhang of the alternator over the mounting flange you have to seat the drive coupling and then pull the alternator out aft enough to slide the hold down clamp in place and start the hold down bolt. Man just doesn't have enough fingers to make this happen. I got the idea to use a socket head screw with a ball end allen wrench to make installation easier. It took a few days to find the right size screw and then it turned out that the head was too high to fit. Now another trip to the hardware store to search for button head socket screws in 5/16" x 1/2". This made the installation workable. To make it easier I broke off two alternator cooling slot rails adjacent to the hold down screws to allow a shallower angle with the ball end allen wrench. The pictures below show the final result.
The picture on the right shows the very close proximity of the battery contactor to the alternator and starter. The B+ lead of the alternator will be connected directly to the starter with an ANL current limiter. From there it will ride on #2AWG cable to the battery contactor and on to the battery. Total length of the B+ wire path to the battery will be under 18". This combined with the linear B&C voltage regulator should provide a very quiet electrical system.