Engine/Alternator Mount.

The new engine mount and alternator bracket are complete. They are coated in Hammerite and drying off as I write.

I've made a new alternator bracket based on a design that's for a zetec SE. The mounting hole centres were different but the overall design is the same. I made the bracket to fit the Focus alternator I bought at the scrappy. The original one that came with the engine was slightly larger and heavier so the Focus jobbie was used instead. I used two of the M10 threaded holes in the block while sharing the back one with the new engine mount which uses 3 M10 holes in the block, AKA original Ford Crossflow design, I believe!

When I took the original mount off I held the engine at the required position using a jack under the engine. This way I made the two plates, one on the engine and one on the rubber mount on the chassis, joining the two together with a bit of tube. I spent a couple of hours making a wooden mount to get the angles right then transfered the dimensions to the metal bits. The whole lot was then welded together.

Heres the new mount cooling off after welding. I'm surprised how rough the welds look as they look a lot better in the flesh! They are done with my 20 year old stick welder thats a bugger to get going but gives a nice smooth weld once its arced. I would really love a Tig, once I win the lottery!

In order to fit the rubber mount I need a hole in the side so I can tighten the M10 nut. I drilled a couple of 10mm holes before I welded it and I made the hole big enough to accept a socket with a milling bit in the electric drill.






With the hole enlarged so I can get the nut on the thread and a socket in to tighten it up, I trial assembled the bracket and mount. balancing the welding seems to have held any distortion at bay and it all went together perfectly!

With the jack out and every thing resting in place the alternator now has a home with a decent amount of room for adjustment. There is plenty of room above for the coolant pipework as well.









This is the alternator bracket, (sorry for the blurry picture, I really do need a new camera!)
I bought a metre of 30x30x3mm angle in B&Q to make it.
The two mounts for the alternator are perfect for belt alignment and there is a captive M8 thread for the adjuster arm at the front.
I don't have an adjuster arm but a trip to the scrappy should get me one off a Ford Fiasco that should do the job perfectly. While I'm there I'll try and get some wheel nuts as I only have 3 on each wheel. The original owner of the donor must have saved the locking nuts for something else :-)

I took it all off and gave it a nice black coat of smooth Hammerite. I'll give that a couple of days to dry and then I'll be moving on to the cooling side. In the meantime a bit more wiring to get the back lights and horn working.