A funny thing I joke about, I feel like the '73-'77 owners belong to a
special group, since this generation is probably least popular among
restorers. But if I'm in my Sprint, and I wave to another '73-'77
car, I have yet to have anyone wave back. I grew up in old VW buses,
and everytime another VW bus drove by, the drivers always made it a
point to wave and honk the horn. Maybe the '73-'77 owners are
embarassed by their rides rather than proud? I still like VW buses,
too, and occasionally entertain the idea of getting one instead of my
Sprint. But they're even more expensive now than elkies, and I kinda
like having a V-8 powered truck.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*From:* John Christensen <johncgg@xxxxxxxxx>
*To:* elky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
*Sent:* Sun, November 7, 2010 3:08:58 AM
*Subject:* [elky] Re: Alternator problem = Elky killer
Don't be afraid to approach this person with the Elky. You may have
more in common than you think, and he or she will probably be happy to
help.
Yes, spotter is the proper term.
JC
On Sat, Nov 6, 2010 at 5:28 PM, Saul Marsh <saulmarsh72@xxxxxxxxx
<mailto:saulmarsh72@xxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
Thanks JC. The 68BB photo is similar to the chrome brackets I
purchased. Note that on your upper bracket, your alternator is
behind the bracket, so you can loosen the slider bolt from the
front. On my '73, my alternator has to be placed in front of the
bracket. Also, your alternator mounting bolt (through the lower
alternator bracket) appears to have one long spacer. I ended up
with one long spacer and two shorter ones, which I wish I paid
more attention to what order they came off.
Today I put the old brackets back on and it almost looks right,
but is still not. My pulley does not line up with the other
pulleys. And it appears that if I could get the pulley to line
up, the belt would interfere with the end of that long mounting
bolt (the one with the spacers). I can't believe I'm having this
much trouble with this repair. My next step is to as a coworker
of mine if I can look under the hood of his '75 El Camino so I can
compare. Might be a little awkward because I don't know this
coworker at all....I just know there's a '75 El Camino in the
parking lot next to mine every day. I am an El Camino stalker.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*From:* John Christensen <johncgg@xxxxxxxxx
<mailto:johncgg@xxxxxxxxx>>
*To:* elky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:elky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Sent:* Sat, November 6, 2010 1:41:36 AM
*Subject:* [elky] Re: Alternator problem = Elky killer
2 MORE
JC
On Sat, Nov 6, 2010 at 1:40 AM, John Christensen
<johncgg@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:johncgg@xxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
Here's some pictures. I'll send 2 at a time.
JC
On Sat, Nov 6, 2010 at 1:07 AM, John Christensen
<johncgg@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:johncgg@xxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
When ever I take the front brackets off my car, I take
pictures as I go. I do this for the very reason you are
having problems with it. I have done this before (taken
them off and not paid attention), and it's frustrating. I
may even have them archived. I'll look.
JC
On Fri, Nov 5, 2010 at 7:09 PM, Saul Marsh
<saulmarsh72@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:saulmarsh72@xxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
JC I can confirm that the alternator in your garage is
exactly what I have. So thanks for the offer, but
I've got a brand new one here.
I'm beginning to think I just fell into the trap of
removing this thing too quickly, and not paying
attention to how it attached. But I swear the pulleys
don't line up even if I can finnagel a way to put this
alternator back in.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*From:* John Christensen <johncgg@xxxxxxxxx
<mailto:johncgg@xxxxxxxxx>>
*To:* elky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:elky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Sent:* Wed, November 3, 2010 8:59:17 PM
*Subject:* [elky] Re: Alternator problem = Elky killer
Check these pictures out Saul and let me know if this
looks like it could replace your old one.
JC
On Wed, Nov 3, 2010 at 6:25 PM, Saul Marsh
<saulmarsh72@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:saulmarsh72@xxxxxxxxx>>
wrote:
Hi guys,
I occasionally spend a few minutes when
available trying to get my alternator problem
figured out. Brought my alternator to
Autozone last month and it tested bad, so I
turned it in and got a new one. Thought I
compared the old and new one together, but
apparently did not do a good enough job
checking it. Replacing an alternator should
be an easy job, right? New one doesn't
fit. I'm having a helluva time and my car
can't be moved as a result. I wish I could
get my old alternator back, just long enough
to move the car into the garage.
My questions:
1. Do I have an alternator or a generator?
My dash light says "GEN" and my '73 GMC
Sprint manual calls it a "Delcotron Generator
Assembly." The Autozone computer calls it an
"alternator."
2. Shouldn't there be a difference between
alternators on pre-'75 and post-'75 models?
I bought shiny new chrome alternator brackets
thinking that the old brackets looked like
something thrown together by some shadetree
mechanic. The new brackets are good for
models up through 1975. The Autozone
computer shows the same alternator for a '73
307, '73 350, and a '77 350. Maybe they
tried to make one alternator interchangeable
with too many others.
3. Where can I find some sort of identifying
code on my engine? Given that the previous
owner used this Sprint as a parts car for
other cars, I'm not even sure I have the
original 350 anymore.
4. Am I an idiot for even taking this
project on?
Thanks all for your help. Nothing urgent
here, but I sure would like to at least be
able to move my Sprint without selling it as
a parts car.
Saul
'73 GMC Sprint
