Who Designed Alt. Bracket?

[No.2Diesel]

Hi,

I'd like to share this amusing little ditty as any Deuce owner who has had to replace an alternator will agree that the person who designed the "lower alternator bracket" should be dug up from the grave and beaten with their own bones

Recently with no warning my alternator bearings began to howl & squeal like a banshee loud enough to hear it in the cab while operating at speed. When I removed the alternator, placing it vertical on the bench, I could pull the pulley up and down meaning that significant end-play was present. Lex_Ordo was kind enough to give me an old alternator he had.

The rear lower mounting bolt is fairly easy to remove, its the front bolt & nut assembly which tests your patience. I still have visions of this lower alt. bracket floating in my brain tormenting me.

The front bolt is almost completely shrouded by its own bracket. Top, right side and bottom access is blocked by this casting. And to the left, in close proximity is the lower radiator hose! The attached pictures illustrate this three dimensional puzzle. I was not defeated! and broke out a crescent shaped box wrench and a ratcheting box wrench. Sitting on the ground with my head resting on the front drive axle flange I could manage with one hand, to reach up and oscillate the ratchet wrench while also holding with constant pressure the crescent wrench with the same hand. The crescent wrench also had to be pressed into the radiator hose in order to fully seat on the bolt head.

I'd like to thank the ratchet wrench, the crescent shaped box wrench and of course foul language for helping me complete the task in a timely manner.

I raise my glass to you, Mr. Lower Alternator Bracket Designer Go ------ Yourself!

 

[1qwkgoat]

Who designed it? The same person that designed you air powered wipers and all the safety equipment on the truck. The lowest bidder.

That always make me feel warm and fuzzy inside

 

[Armada]

I would have to agree with you. (Is that blood on the primary filter?)
I think the same guy designed the mounting brackets for the power steering pump on a cucv. (Bat = tibia, horse = designer)

BUT, after doing it a half dozen times, it does get easier.

 

[Sephirothq]

I had to change the lower radiator hose on a truck in the middle of a downpour. I know well about that bracket and the unhappiness.

 

[atankersdad]

This guy (I think his name is Murphy) also takes credit for placement of the master cylinder and air pac. Last weekend I also installed an alternator on a deuce, and 1 hour into it I called my son and asked him what the trick was to this. I told him I had 5 cuts on my right hand from first trying to get the lower studs in place and once that was done, trying to get them tight. He told me i was close, only 3 more cuts to the hand was what the TM called for. It is a breeze with the radiator out!!

 

[No.2Diesel]

Hahaha Its nice to know that others have had the same wonderful experience!

Here is a comparison from the TMs between the LDS and the LDT lower brackets. As can be seen, the older bracket design is simple (like 99% of all alt. brackets on all motors in history)

The second and third image shows the bracket in question....why use a more cumbersome and intricate casting?

 

[TexRdnec]

I would have to agree with you. (Is that blood on the primary filter?)
I think the same guy designed the mounting brackets for the power steering pump on a cucv. (Bat = tibia, horse = designer)

BUT, after doing it a half dozen times, it does get easier.

if it's the same design that chevrolet used in their '80s model C70 trucks then i wholeheartedly concur

 

[clinto]

Who Designed Alt. Bracket?

The same guy who thought it would be a good idea to cast multifuel manifolds so that only an open end wrench could access the nuts!

Why lordy no, there's no good reason to need to put a socket or a boxed end wrench on a freakin' exhaust manifold stud!

 

[Recovry4x4]

FWIW I pull the bracket off the block, attach said alternator then install both as a unit. Works for me! Your mileage may vary!

 

[cranetruck]

I have seen new cars where the battery must be removed for a headlight bulb change or the VW bug where you are supposed to take the front wheel off first then the light assy....engineering is loaded with compromises.

 

[wreckerman893]

The placement of the primary fuel filter nut directly under the alternator was designed by and idiot and approved by a moron. I have cut off a 1" box end wrench just for that goatF**K.
I agree about the airpack and master cylinder placement....another master piece of engineering.
I love my deuces but you are gonna lose skin just about anytime you work on one.

 

[jesusgatos]

...the person who designed the "lower alternator bracket" should be dug up from the grave and beaten with their own bones

I know you're kidding, and I get what you're saying about wondering why some things are the way they are, but...

I think the guys that designed these trucks did an AMAZING job. I mean, think about it. These trucks have been in service for how long now? As I'm rebuilding mine, I'm thinking about where it's been and what it's been through, and the fact that it's not really any worse-for-wear. With a little regular maintenance, how many more years will it be on the road? There are lots of things about these trucks that we can improve on, but I don't think there are too many glaring faults in the overall design. Pretty well-balanced machines if you ask me. I guess part of it is that I'm a designer myself, and I just really appreciate things like these, that have stood the test of time. I can forgive a ****ty alternator bracket.

 

[bassetdeuce]

Everyone with a deuce should carry a 5/8 half moon wrench, in order to make changing out the alt belts a little less torturous.

 

[jesusgatos]

Thanks for the tip. Gotta do that tomorrow.

 

[Josh]

belts always tend to break at the worst possable time. i had my alt belts snap on the freeway on the way to a rally, thank god Hammer was running behind, he saved my ass, but in watching him help me change my belts(well he did most of the work, and i still owe him 5 bucks next time i see him) , ill never forget how to do it. then my aircompressor belt snaps in the middle of the sanddunes. had to drive my landcruiser with about 8psi in the tires, 12 miles on the highway to a library so i could look up the part number for the napa belt, then another 6-7 miles to napa to get it, then back to the dunes. i didnt think about stoping at a gas station to air up the tires until i was back at the dunes.


back on topic - it didnt take us very long at all once we got the right belts to put them on, it just took experimenting with about 10 or so belts until we came up with ones that would work. but i dont remember the alt giving us any trouble at all when it came to loosening or tightening it.

 

[roger-wilco-66]

I think the deuces handbrake, new version, is also a PITA.
Bjorn, changing the No1 sparkplug on a VW bug is also a challenge, or unmounting the Solex carburator from the intake manifold! I crafted special tools for that.
But there is worse: I once saw a Porsche Boxster with its engine pulled and asked what the matter is, the guy said "aww nothing, just the annual spark plug change!"
And on the Audi A2 you even can't open the hood anymore. The only thing the dumb operator can do on this thing is to fill the cleaning fluid by popping the radiator grill open.
That's how far we have come.
I love oldtimers.

Cheers,
Mark

 

[Recovry4x4]

I love my deuces but you are gonna lose skin just about anytime you work on one.

I lose less skin on a deuce than anything else in the yard. Try doing an ignition switch or window regulator on a CUCV. No chance in heck that you can do either of those without leaking some blood.

 

[cranetruck]

The more you work on them the easier it gets, goes for generator bracket, belts, fuel and oil filters, brake fluid, injectors, hydraulic head, you name it...

 

[avengeusa]

i use a 5/8 gear wrench for the front bolt/nut

i get it from under the vehicle and it is a snap, less than 10 seconds and it is off

the hardest part is not sliding the bolt out of the hole while slipping the lower front alternator tab into place

 

[Keith_J]

You think that is bad? How about the alternator on my 2k VW TDI? You have to remove the belly pan, the right side noise baffle and then PULL THE AC COMPRESSOR! And be careful because both are secured with pinch bushings meaning a pry bar is needed. Dropped the AC compressor on my chin, a sharp corner punctured my chin.

To reassemble, the pinch bushings on the AC need to be pushed back to get it on the bracket. And you have to be an origami expert to get the serpentine belt back on.

Working on military vehicles is easy.