What is this on my valve cover

SnowDrifter said
On my 360 I ran the heater hoses along the valve cover

Is there any reason I need to use this alternator bracket. can't I just mount it like I did on my 360.

I had trouble with the fan belt spacing on my 360 Finding the right pulleys to lineup. That water pump pulley is 2 singles welded together

View attachment 1715609376

SnowDrifter said

On my 360 I ran the heater hoses along the valve cover

Is there any reason I need to use this alternator bracket. can't I just mount it like I did on my 360.

I had trouble with the fan belt spacing on my 360 Finding the right pulleys to lineup. That water pump pulley is 2 singles welded together

View attachment 1715609376

View attachment 1715609377

Click to expand...

View attachment 1715609377

Looks like you have a mismatch of parts. The power steering belt usually just goes to the crank pulley and not around the water pump on the early models engines. A/C and non-A/C engines use completely different brackets and pulleys and trying to mix and match can be a nightmare. Cast iron and aluminum water pump engines also used completely different brackets and pulleys too, so, you can see what a mess of a mix you can get into.