TheSamba.com :: View topic

Fri Feb 19, 2010 2:44 pm

I'm going to scrap my heat exchangers and fit "j" tubes (it's just too expensive over here in the UK to put new exchangers in and I've got lots of bits missing). Trouble is, looking at the setup on my 73 bus the top of the alternator bracket attaches to the fan housing, and the bottom attaches to the right hand heat exchanger. I think later buses had a different arrangement - looking at the Bentley it might attach to the bottom of the fan housing? It's certainly curved more.

Can anyone let me know how the bracket is attached on later buses so I can either get a replacement one or fabricate one? A photo would be great.

Fri Feb 19, 2010 2:56 pm

Differences in the brackets can be seen here.. Complements of Karl:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=328988&highlight=alternator+bracket
This has been covered alot.. Might try a search. The 72-74 attaches to the side of the heater box whereas a 75-78 goes to a support on top of the heater box.. If I remember correctly..

Fri Feb 19, 2010 3:14 pm

Thansk, yes, just had a search around and they all seem to go to the heater box. Now - how do I fabricate something to let me fit J tubes......?

Fri Feb 19, 2010 3:49 pm

I'm about to do a 72-74 HX swap on my '78 and have looked into this. You don't actually need to attach the bracket to the new exhaust you are installing. You could probably cut the lower half of the bracket off and let it go as long as you find a place to brace the exhaust you are installing. I recently read a post from Colin about this and it made sense, even when the bracket isn't attached to the exhaust, it is supporting the alternator from the top bolt.

Fri Feb 19, 2010 4:00 pm

If you do end up fabricating something, you'll need to use something a bit stiffer than body steel - I'd say you'd want something at least 2.5 - 3mm thick, which is a bear to bend. I'm in the process of moving house, otherwise I'd show you the one I made when I lost my bracket during resto and before I found it again - basically an L shape with the right profile groove in it and drilled for the bolt on the short side.

Top tip, btw, is weld a piece of wire 10 / 12" long to the bottom of that nut - so you can still get a socket on it -- makes it a piece of cake to put on / take off when the engine's in the car.

Fri Feb 19, 2010 4:01 pm

TheShane wrote: You don't actually need to attach the bracket to the new exhaust you are installing. You could probably cut the lower half of the bracket off and let it go as long as you find a place to brace the exhaust you are installing. I recently read a post from Colin about this and it made sense, even when the bracket isn't attached to the exhaust, it is supporting the alternator from the top bolt.
Thats what I was thinking.. J tubes are a lot lighter than the heater boxes.. You could have some supports running down to where the J tubes connect to the header/muffler. Kinda like the stock supports on the left heater box just to help support everything..

Sat Feb 20, 2010 5:27 am

Thanks Folks. advice re hanging the alternator from the top bolt only is good - didn't think of that!

Reading up last night it looks like the J tubes might cause some extra heat - although it doesn't seem to be confirmed by anyone whose fitted them - so I'm not sure whether this is the right way to go given I've spent the past year doing everything possible to get the head temps down.....

Sat Feb 20, 2010 7:46 am

TheShane wrote: I'm about to do a 72-74 HX swap on my '78 and have looked into this. You don't actually need to attach the bracket to the new exhaust you are installing.

i disagree. the alternator bracket supports the exhaust on the right side. i suppose you can jury-rig some other means of support, but why jury-rig when all the attachment points are already there?

Tue Feb 23, 2010 11:10 am

I guess it depends on is he is using stripped down heater boxes from a 411 and calling them J tubes or if he is using these from European Motorworks:

Does not look like these have a support so you could fit a support from the fan shroud to it flange maybe?? If you go with 411 heater boxes then there is a support built in for the alt bracket: