so i'd really like to keep powersteering in my truck, but the placement of the powersteering pump above the alternator would put it too much in the way of all the piping off the turbo, which is why most guys do without powersteering i would assume.
i got the idea that if i could relocate the alternator to the driver's side of the engine, i could clear up a lot of space on the cluttered side of the engine. a quick search of the internet yielded three things;
1. Buschur Racing kit- $180-
2. Jay Racing kit - $120-
and 3; a homemade bracket by a member on some DSM forum that looked like absolute hell. it was made from the stock A/C compressor brace and a chopped up powersteering pump brace-
as bad as the homemade mount looked, the price tag of the other two options looked even worse. i decided the worst part of the homemade mount was chopped up brace, but the idea of utilizing a strong cast mount sounded good, so i set about finding a better way to mount the alternator to the old A/C brace. after my grandfather and i brainstormed for a bit, we came up with an idea, and tonight, set about making it happen. here is the initial mock-up-
basically all you need to do this is a around 10"-12" of 1/4" thick angle iron, some time, and some way to grind metal(bench grinder, belt sander, etc). first, on the bottom two bolt holes that bolt the compressor to the brace, cut off the "ears" that protrude out, and grind the face of the bolt holes flat. measure and drill two holes to bolt 9" or so of the angle iron. out of the excess, cut two brackets about 1" wide each. drill holes in the brackets, and grind corners round so they'll clear the alternator as it pivots. run a bolt through the alternator with the brackets on the inside of the flanges(see pic). i cut a little sleeve to keep everything square to tack everything together.
the other modification to the brace is grinding the upper arm(that sits up by the timing cover even(as-cast, its thicker on one end) so the tensioner will bolt squarely(flat) to the brace. this will help locate everything, and as luck would have it, lines everything up pretty well actually.
i have it bolted in the truck now to mock everything up, and all looks pretty well so far. hopefully i'll get a chance to weld it up this weekend. i'll hopefully have an update with some pics in the next few days. enjoy!
