Hey... my new engine is in the car... and almost ready to start, but I discovered that the old alternator bracket doesn't fit with the new intake for some reason




The intake is a Professional Products Crosswind... exactly the same as an Edelbrock Air Gap.

The problem is with the factory 3 point alternator bracket. The mounting bolt hole on the front of the intake is too far forward and too high. I saw a picture of someone elses car here with an edelbrock Air Gap intake where it looks like they had the same problem... they just hacked off the back mounting point on the bracket and it became a ghetto rigged 2 point... but I'm looking for a better solution.

I saw alot of pics in the carb forum where guys got rid of the bracket all together and used a turnbuckle... so I picked up some turnbuckles today and tried it... but it didn't work either... the turnbuckle interferes with the alternator... how did you guys set up your turnbuckles? Do I need a different alternator? How did you guys mount your alternators when using the Air Gap intake?

 

very nice engine bay..What kind of waterpump will you be using??

 

Thanks.. I installed the factory "long" water pump.... but the damn alternator bracket won't fit.... it's advertised as working with all 78+ street brackets... the hole in the intake seems to be in the wrong spot... I really can't figure this one out. We hacked up a bracket to use for now... but there must be something I'm missing...

Has anyone successfully installed either an edelbrock or a pro-products air gap manifold with the factory alternator bracket?

also how do you guys get the turnbuckles to work without hitting the alternator?

 

you can grind that area down on the intake to make it fit I had to do it to my Holley intake also needed to elongate the hole on the bracket to make it work

 

We fabbed up a bracket to use for the mean time... but it wasn't a matter of a little grinding and stretching the hole... we removed over an inch of material I'd say. It's advertised to work with 76+ street brackets... so I am wondering what I am doing wrong?

Thanks for your help... maybe they are just crappy pieces... but I couldn't immagine them being out by over an inch..

 

Seriously... if anyone has been through this... let me know WTF is goin on...

 

hrm. I have an edelbrock RPM air gap (7516) and my alternator bracket bolted right up

I have v-belts as well.

Either its the professional products intake, or your bracket

 

Well I used the bracket before on my LG4 intake... and it doesn't even come close to bolting up.... so I guess that's why the Pro Products intake is almost 1/2 the price Other than this bracket the intake is awesome.. great quality, ports line up good... but this bracket really pisses me off.

Thanks man

BTW... what bracket did you use? Do you have a pic? Is it the 3 point that bolts to the intake.... or the 3 point that bolts to the water neck?

 

I have just have the stock LG4 passenger side bracket. It's the 3 point one that bolts to the intake. Here is a picture. That intake is the 7516, i just painted it black.

Sounds like its the intake

 

Brackets on the earliest model cars that used this bracket arrangement didn't go to the intake like that, instead they went to a stud that was used instead of a bolt the pass side of the water outlet. They changed the intake manifold in the early 70s some time.

Go find a 69 or 70 Impala in the junkyard and hork its alt bracket, if your intake's water outlet is in the same place as stock.

 

Thank you VERY much! I now know that the intake is definitely the problem... I emailed Professional Products to see what they have to say. Does anyone else run a Pro Products intake? If so, how did you get around this?

To anyone else... I'd stay away from these intakes..

 

It appears that the issue might only be with the RPM airgap...

 

I had the same problem with the RPM airgap intake. I JUST left that one bolt out. I later used a Victor Jr. and the problem was worse. This time insted of the hole being to high it was vertical and I had to fab a new bracket.

 

Mine was off vertically as well as horizontal... and it was out by almost an inch horizontal, to the point where I couldn't even fit the bracket in without the intake bolt... I can't believe they would advertise both the RPM Air Gap and the Crosswind to work with factory 1976+ Brackets when they clearly don't fit. At least now I know I'm not the only one... thanks!

 

Hey Johnny, RB's suggestion is probably the closest solution I can think of. We had problems with the alternator bracket on my brother's car when using various intakes. He had a performer RPM for a while, then a Weiand Stealth, and they both had the back mounting point in different spots. Chevy used different style brackets 2 or 3 times between 1969 and present. You just have to figure out what style bracket fits your particular intake. Some of them in 1969 actually used one of the water neck holes for the back mount, then around 1970 they switched to the tower like your intake has. However even when they switched to that, the location changed again around 75 or 76, so it's just a guessing game figuring out which one you need. My 69 has a Weiand X-Celerator manifold and I ended up using the chrome Mr. Gasket one for 76 and newer if I remember right.