New Heads / Belts Dont Line Up

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phildart

dartparts12
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Just Installed a set of Aluminum edlebrock heads on my 68 Dart 340 Cu. The alternator Belt does not line up evenly. New heads is much further out than the stock heads. Any Suggestions?
 
Make or alter the spacers to get correct alignment if possible.
 
crackedback said:
Make or alter the spacers to get correct alignment if possible.
Click to expand...
Agree w/ crackedback, when u change something, most always a little modification is in order, the more u change , the more mods are needed most of the time. Spacers / shims ,maybe even a custom home made bracket .
 
phildart said:
Just Installed a set of Aluminum edlebrock heads on my 68 Dart 340 Cu. The alternator Belt does not line up evenly. New heads is much further out than the stock heads. Any Suggestions?
Click to expand...
Most aftermarket heads change the pulley alignment. Spacers that are narrower are needed. People dont talk about it much on here.
 
I saw a set of Edelbrocks on a 340-360 once. The person could not get the alternator back far enough- read (no spacers). It was off a horrible amount.
 
This is what I used on last small block with eddie heads
mch-40051_w.jpg

March Performance - Chrysler Small Block : Alternator Bracket Kit
 
lemondana said:
I can't believe they haven't corrected that yet!
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Yeah. You'd think as much as they cost, they'd get them to bolt on right. I cannot think of a SINGLE small block Chevy aluminum head that doesn't use factory accessories that bolt right up. There may be some out there, but I'm not aware of them. It's like "oh it's Mopar stuff, just do the best you can".
 
lemondana said:
I saw a set of Edelbrocks on a 340-360 once. The person could not get the alternator back far enough- read (no spacers). It was off a horrible amount.
Click to expand...

Yeah... there is a DIFFERENT direction you can go as well. If you can't move the alternator back, you move the other pulleys forward. Pretty simple.
 
phildart said:
Just Installed a set of Aluminum edlebrock heads on my 68 Dart 340 Cu. The alternator Belt does not line up evenly. New heads is much further out than the stock heads. Any Suggestions?
Click to expand...

Suggestion: Put the old heads back on and everything will line up again...
 
Swapping to a dual-groove alt. pulley might do it if you can't get the alternator moved back far enough before it hits the head. I have LA Edelbrocks on my 5.9 Magnum and although I did have to play around with cutting spacers and adding/removing washers I was able to get my dual-groove alternator to line up on the rear groove without much trouble.
 
A. Need old-style round-back alternator. Not as much casting to clear.
B. Need longer belt. Longer belt allows alt to hang lower, avoiding interference.
C. Use stock brackets, assuming they were correct to start with.

This is how I made mine work anyways.
 
Agree on the round back alt, as I had clearance issues with the square back hitting the head. The alternator brackets bolt to the water pump not the head. So if the OP is putting the alternator on the correct side of the bracket, alignment should be right. The spacers just fill in the gaps after. Am I missing something?
 
I've got a square-back on mine with no issues, pretty sure the belt is not factory length though that probably makes a difference. @340doc I think the issue lies in where the long bolt threads into the end of the cylinder head which the alternator pivots on and the spacer that goes over it. That mounting area sticks out farther on Edelbrocks compared to factory heads which pushes the alternator forward if the spacer isn't modified to move the alternator back again. I'll post a pic of my setup after I get home from work today...
 
Just wait until you try to fit a 340 exhaust manifold on it! Extended the swing arm and run a longer belt worked for me.
 
furrystump said:
Just wait until you try to fit a 340 exhaust manifold on it! Extended the swing arm and run a longer belt worked for me.
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Ugh no doubt, I had to hammer the center 2 tubes of my driver side Hedman Tight Tubes shorties so there was enough clearance with the bottom of the head for the headers to seal. F%&#in annoying, took me a bit to figure that out because they were also hitting one of the mounting bosses on my Magnum block (the ones that are used for the modern truck mounts)... got to a point where I kept grinding and hammering but they still wouldn't fit till I looked a bit higher, "Ah-HAH, you dirty SOB!" lol

I wonder if the Trick Flows are better in that regard...

EDIT: Also just remembered off the top of my head, I definitely have a longer alternator belt on my setup because once I pull the alternator up to tighten the belt the hold-down bolt is pretty much all the way at the end of the swing-arm bracket.
 
MopaR&D said:
I've got a square-back on mine with no issues, pretty sure the belt is not factory length though that probably makes a difference. @340doc I think the issue lies in where the long bolt threads into the end of the cylinder head which the alternator pivots on and the spacer that goes over it. That mounting area sticks out farther on Edelbrocks compared to factory heads which pushes the alternator forward if the spacer isn't modified to move the alternator back again. I'll post a pic of my setup after I get home from work today...
Click to expand...
The mounting point is exactly as stock. The only problem is that Edelbrock is too cheap to machine clearance on the end of the head(s) to clear the back side of most alternators, and of some P.S. pumps. Stock heads have bosses where the tapped holes are, Edelbrock just machines the whole area flat. But the flat area is the same as a stock head as far as front-to-rear dimensions.
 
I think there’s water bear the flat surface. I would not really go grinding on it for clearance
 
69_340_GTS said:
The mounting point is exactly as stock. The only problem is that Edelbrock is too cheap to machine clearance on the end of the head(s) to clear the back side of most alternators, and of some P.S. pumps. Stock heads have bosses where the tapped holes are, Edelbrock just machines the whole area flat. But the flat area is the same as a stock head as far as front-to-rear dimensions.
Click to expand...

Gotcha so it's not necessarily that the alternator moves it's just that the clearance area cast into factory heads isn't there on the Eddies...
 
furrystump said:
I think there’s water bear the flat surface. I would not really go grinding on it for clearance
Click to expand...
Well, you don't really to grind anything if you use the round back alternator and a longer belt. I did knock about 1/4" off the lower/front corner on the drivers side head to clear my p.s. pump though... no problems.
 
I just took these two shots to show how high and where the Alt. sits up and over towards the passenger side the Edelbrock head. Notice the shortened spacer on the head. Everything clears. The Alt. is at the maximum adjusted spot. A dual pulley will help. Mine happens to be a single.

When checking the amount of space needed, if you can get an extra hand to hold the Alt. In the position needed will be of great help.

Grab one of those digital caliper micrometer thingy or roughly mark the stock tube and cut it down.

I’ve done this a few times. If your short a little bit, a washer on the head is a good place to space it outwards. This saves the head from being gouged. (Not really a big deal...)

BB86F39F-D1B0-441F-826F-77AAB45BE11F.jpeg
2E8DF0E5-F849-40EB-8AB3-3EF33D8BE681.jpeg
 
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