DansYellow66

Does anyone know if the alternator mount changed from the 65 396/425motor to the 66 427/425 motor? My NCRS nightmare (no power steering) has the water pump belt sitting forward of the alternator belt like a 1965 396 car. Everything I've seen and checked on the 66 cars shows the water pump belt running in the rear grooves of the pulleys and the alternator belt up front. Everything lines up OK as is - just not correct appearing (along with other things). Neither year appeared to use an extended alternator pulley w/o power steering so I can only conclude there must be a difference in the mount that moved the 66 alternator slightly forward from the 65 location. Anyone know the correct mount part number?

Thanks

Dan

snydes

This was borrowed from another forum...

The '65 L78 part is #3863138; the number does not appear on the bracket. The '66-69 (?) lower alt brkt (w/o P.S.) is part #3882810, and this # is cast on one of the webs. The 396 bracket is designed for the alternator belt to lie in the rearmost groove of the crank and w.pump pulley; the '66+ is the forward groove.

Hope this helps,
Steve

Ironcross

This is a photo of my 68. The main alternator bracket is a cast iron bracket that attaches to the cylinder head. I only use one belt as there is no PS {power steering} but its the same set up on my early BB Camaros with PS. The only difference is the adjustment bracket.

67L36Driver

1.........yes, '65 BB wo/ps used a one year only bracket that located the alternator belt in the rearmost groove of the wp pulley. (I know as I tried to use one on mine in '91)
2.........'66 &'67 ran 'captured' wp belt in rear groove and alt belt in (next) forward groove of the wp pulley. (I can't say for '68 up or regular pass cars.)
3.........From what I can see the alt pulley is just like any other. Not extended as generic rebulit units drop right in.
4.........Sorry, don't, but try # PS14 from Volunteer. (Corvette Central has their bracket for '66-'67 listed incorrectly as it covers '65 427s)

The '65 only and the '66-'67 alternator bracket look very much alike and it wouldn't supprise me that someone stocked the parts bin incorrectly.

I bet a $10 to a donut you have the wrong bracket (a '65).

Day-Um. What made this post so wide?

midstyle

Correct; visually, the 396 version has a straight arm rearward with a straight rib [top], and the 1966 version has a raised rib with the bolt eyelet drooping to the same bolthole location on the head. Believe this was done to accomodate A.I.R. plumbing, starting on motors in that model year.

Actually, the bottom bracket is NOT the 1966 Corvette version, but a THIRD variation (probably '66+ Chevy ?) that still puts the alternator belt in the first groove from the engine (not the 2nd groove that the 3882810 does). The '810' is almost identical to the bottm pic, except that the connect points to the alternator case slant forward.

gbvette62

65 has it's own, unique main alternator bracket, all 66 to 74's use the same main bracket, in a different configuration from the 65. The upper, adjusting bracket, is the same for 65-67, 68-74 use a different adjusting bracket. This pertains to cars without PS or A/C only. Things change all around again with PS and/or A/C cars

All 65-74 cars without steering or A/C have a non-adjustable belt that runs from the water pump pulley to the crank pulley. On 65's this belt ran outboard of the alternator belt, on 66-74's, the belt runs inboard of the alternator belt (in the groove closest to the engine). 65-66's share the same water pump pulley, 67 and 68-74 use different ones. 65 to early 69 share the same cast iron crank pulley. Late 69 to 74 use a stamped steel pulley.

To my knowledge, the passenger car set up is different. I don't think that passenger cars used the non-adjustable belt set up. From what I've seen the brackets and pulleys differ on passenger cars, also.

DansYellow66

I think Snydes hit on the source of my problem first. When I studied the bracket several years ago looking for a part number I remember being unable to find one on it. Sooo - apparently I do have a 65 bracket and I need to look for a correct 66 one.

Thanks for all the replies.

Ironcross

The top bracket is the one used on my 68 and also on the early big block Camaros. Everything works with the alignment of this bracket. But I dont know exactly if a 66 is different.