WILL85IROC

i took my alternator to get tested at pep boys and it failed. while in the car the batt only reads about 9v. so i put my truck battery in there and same thing... so i figured i'd just buy a new or refurb'd one... the guy looked up my car type, enge, etc and bought out 3 differenets type and none of them fit!!!! the bracket on my alt is too long for all the ones in stock, we even looked other gmc/chevy types (cars and trucks) and same thing. i know most likely its not the original alt cuz my car is 85'. here are some pics, can someone tell me where to get a replacement or if i really need this blac k bracket??? one of the guys said i need it to prevent the long bolt from snapping off into the eng blk.... i was thinking of just buying one just to get the car running and quit cutting off after 10 sec of running ... thnx again all !!!...

WILL85IROC

does anyone else's 85' or 88' have this bracket? if so, do u have a pic?
also , does anyone have one without the bracket thats running fine? (no broken bolts, etc) ... thnx

sonjaab

That bracket is just there to fill space between the back of the alt.
and the face of the block. My 84 HO has a similar spacer but it does
not attach to the alt. body.

If you want to keep that spacer bracket you could get a new alt.
and swap the guts from the new/reman. one to your old case or
cut the arm off the old bracket and just use the spacer.

It funny that my new reman alt. for my 84 HO came from Pep boys!

WILL85IROC

so i dont need that black bracket??? just put the long bolt thru hole without it???

sonjaab

You do NEED that spacer ! It fills the space between the alt body and the block. If you mount it without the spacer the alt. will either
be mounted crooked or the tab on the alt. body will break off.

Why not just install/use the spacer and not bolt it to the alt. body? Is it just that the new alt. does not have a bolt hole for the bracket?
Test fit it and see if it will work................

WILL85IROC

all the alternators that they had that black bracket didnt fit, its too long and the new and refurb alts hav e the correct holes but about a half inch too short, the bracket overlaps. the body and height is good but that black bracket/spacer that the long bolt goes in is too long... i need to find a n alt that fits that bracket if i have to keep it on/

WILL85IROC

so can i just use the spacer bracket and cut the long peice that attaches to that other hole? whats it for anyway? to keep it sturdy, firm ???

sonjaab

Yup............Either swap the guts from the new alt. into the old alt. body
OR
cut off the arm from the spacer bracket
OR
use that bracket with the new alt. and just don't bolt it to the alt. body.

Either way you need that spacer...............

Test fit the replacement alt and the un-cut bracket first.

I don't understand why a standard Delco alt. (60 to 100 amp. units used in the 3rd gens) would be different from another?
My replacement was identical. Although sometimes you may have to remove the screws that hold the alt. body halfs together and rotate the alt. body 1/2s to get the mounting holes to line up for different mounting hole positions..............

sonjaab

Your still gonna need a spacer or make one out of 3/8 pipe.
Like this:

WILL85IROC

ok, i went bk to pep boys, the guys were real helpful. one of the older techs has a shop here in pgh and has been working on corvettes and camaros for 20 plus year s and he said he never saw a declo alt that didnt fit chevy blocks, we measured the radius of my alt and about 4 others and its wider. my alt is about 6" in diameter and the others are about 5 1/2".
so i said the hell with it ,ill buy it and see if it fits, if not , he said i can bring it bk. so we swapped the pullys then noticed that the 2 bolt holes are larger. another mystery to us. maybe someone frankenstiened it or threaded bigger holes.. anyway, off to the garage, feel free to chime in..

85z28LT1

I have an 85' and I have the bracket. When I had to replace mine I had to get them to reverse that casing on the ALT because mine is installed on the drivers side. I would NOT suggest putting the ALT on without any one the brackets because I did that and It broke the bolt of in my cylinder head.

I get my parts from autozone or salvo auto parts. I am in MD so its not that far from PA

WILL85IROC

anyone know why the new alt i bought is 1/2" shorter in diameter?? it wont bolt up to the 'u' shaped bracket on the serp assembly. its too short...
ill post a pic in a few min's...

85z28LT1

why don't you just look up the same part#'erd ALT and buy one of those?

WILL85IROC

its an 80's alt and the numbers are worn off, ill post what i can see on it, i think the middle 2 numbers are missing and the guy had a hard time looking it up...

Gumby

buy a rebuild kit and rebuild the old one, its not even that hard or pricy, or pay to have it rebuilt.

WILL85IROC

im still puzzled why my 85 is larger??? shouldnt all camaro alts be the same size and fit that 'u' bracket connected to block???

Gumby

unless you owned the car from day one it could be off anything and been left over from another car or era..........

85z28LT1

yeah could have just made the alt fit. maybe he needed a bigger one>?

Good point! just buy a rebuild kit. it isnt hard

sonjaab

Prob. all your old alt. needs is a new regulator. (internal on a GM).
That and a new brush kit for less than $20 bucks!

theNMBR27

I have a brand new one in my garage if you're interested.

Camaroagenda

I have the exact same issue. My alternator is larger in size than the one that the parts store has. The alternator has a Delco part number of 1101037. It has a 5-7/8 dia case. Not sure where to find a replacement.

WILL85IROC

im bk, i took my alt to pcm auto here in pgh, pa to a little shop thats been doing alts for over 25 years and once he saw it he knew immediatley what was wrong... he said there are different types of sizes and they go by a # .. for ex. i think he said their si13 thru like si50... the large r one i have is a 'si' or 'is' 17... the one we think came with it is si15 which is smaller... i think i have the terminology down right but will check with him tuesday. he had a spare casting so he built me an additional one... if someone can verify these sizes pls chip in.... oh, and thanks for the that casting #, i couldnt read mine...

8t2 z-chev

that alternator is a 17si,probably of 108 amps.There was
also a 97a version.
you can tell it is a 17 si by the notches in the front half
of the case and the larger diode cooling openings on the
back-otherwise it is almost the same as a 15 si.
The 15 si was used on '82-83 C/Fs with a 85a rating and
some carb '82s with a 70a rating.
Besides worn brushes,one of the other usuall problems
with these (and the smaller case 10 and 12 si)is bad
connections where the 3 leads from the stator connect
to the rectifier diodes-they have ring terminals that
are just crimped on allowing a loose,oxidized connection
to develop over time-soldering the terminals to the
stator leads fixes the problem,though sometimes the
ring terminals need replaced.

Camaroagenda

That is great way to address the problem.
This is what I found out. I was able to work with the guys at Advance Auto Parts and found that Worldwide Alternators has a rebuilt alternator that was a match. Their part number is P7290-3. This is a direct bolt in for my old one. I am now up and running.
The parts guys cross referenced the part number and it still doesn't show used in a Camaro. It showed up for an 85-86 Pontiac 6000 4.3L and an 85 Caprice 350ci. Hey, all I know is it is the same size and output as my old one and it works.
Thanks for the information.