I'm beavering away on the B20 have all the internals in (crank,cam,pistons,head on, etc) and am now hooking up the externals. The alternator tensioner bar has rubber grommets fitted (one between the block and the bar and one between the bar and the washer). Basically rubber bushings mounts on the block end of the bar. I don't find these in any catalogue which all show the bar directly bolting to the block. Any ideas what is going on here? It appears the bracket on the bottom of the alternator, that bolts to the block was home made and now has (I presume) a stress crack and will have to be replaced. I will get one fabricated locally, but wonder about the rubber bushings. I'm tempted to bolt the arm directly to the block as in the catalogues, but thought I'd get your advice before proceeding. Thanks as always, you guys have been a great help on this project.
Bill

i've got a b18 in the garage alternator still attached, need the bracketry?

No idea what's going on there - the alternator is hard mounted to the engine. No rubber bushings.

Thanks for the help. I'll bolt it directly. As for the bracket. Rockmonton , thanks, but i'll get one fabricated as I know this one has the right alignment for the pulley (I'm not running the regular fan). I can't find a name on the alternator so don't know if the standard bracket would provide the proper alignment. Thanks again for your help and generous offer.
Bill

The alternator is either a Bosch unit or an SEV Marshal (sometimes branded Volvo). They take the same bracket which is just a simple piece of 1/4" with a hole that bolts to the block and a slot that allows adustment of the alternator tension.

Likey so:





Oh, and as the back side of the bracket is the reference surface - the thickness isn't that important (ie if you don't have 1/4" but have some 3/8" it will work fine. Don't go with some thin crap as it won't stay aligned very long.)

Thanks Craig: The tensioning bracket is OK (just the confusion over the rubber grommets). The bottom bracket was really the problem with the crack. I've taken it to the local machine shop and they figure a weld and it is good to go back on ("V" out the crack and weld). I'll give that a try (cheap and simple - that's right up my alley).
Thanks again.
Bill

If this is a B20 - there is no bottom bracket, the alternator bolts to the block. A B18 has to have an adapter bracket. These were/are made by/for IPD and others. I've heard of them failing due to issues with the depth of threads cut into the adapter. The new design is better and looks like this:



If someone has adapted the old generator bracket...save your pennies and build the above bracket - that genny bracket was not designed for an alternator and will just fail again when you least need it to fail.

SWEM (Swedish Embassy) also makes these alternator adapter kits for the B18 and B20. Good units, I have one in my 1800.
JD

The B20 in Dale's 122 had a bracket? I don't remember a place for where a boss could have been chopped off, either. It came from a 142, and had an alternator in it, and we modded the bracket for a Ford alternator.

Can't find a really good picture of it.

See the hole peeking out from just behind the lower bracket...that's where the alternator is suppose to attach on a B20. I don't know why that bracket would be there - I'm sure there were MFG variations, but if you get a standard 140 alternator (as I've got) then she just bolts right up. Meh.

Well it seems like there were 2 different B20 Blocks. My original block needed the bracket as it does not have the cast in bolt hole Craig refers to. It was this bracket I had welded up. When I went to install it it became clear that there was the cast in (threaded) hole you refer to. This was were the alternator that came with the motor was installed. It appears that my original alternator has had the bottom mounting area modified (to fit the bracket or line up the pulley, or both) and the bolt hole was not large enough to accept the bolt that fits the hole (I have since reamed it out). I am getting both alternators checked out and will use the best one. If I use the original I may have to use washer shims to get the pulley alignment I need. This mounting boss was not the only difference between the castings. Another area was where the block coolant drain is behind the oil filter.The hole that accepts the drain tap is quite different. Both blocks have numbers that check out as B20 blocks, just different. Thanks again.
Bill