Had the alternator on my car for three years so its got the usual grease and dirt covering it, looking to make it a bit more presentable by painting it. It is currently off the car so it should make it a little easier looking for any tips. which ares should be masked, should I remove any parts of it etc pete
a scotch pad and carb cleaner would restore its original appearance otherwise theyre a bit of a sod to take apart!
as above,they can tend to look a bit tacky when painted sometimes...ive done mine and ive gone off it now if you do want to paint it,it depends how far you want to go with it really and how good of a job you want to do. if you are using hammerite or sommet from a tin,my advice is dont bother splitting it,as when you put it back together the thick paint lifts and looks crap/causes problems. if you do want to split it(maybe with spray cans?) then wedge a bolt in the fan,hold alternator nice and tight,and undo the 24? mm? nut. pull off the washer>fan>spacer>undo the long screws in the body>do not undo the 4 in the center/unless replacing bearings>and the two halves will pull/lever apart. neil. Edited by: riley
I started taking mine apart today I used a pair of stilsons on the pulley and yes it's a 24mm nut The long bolts are stuck solid not sure how i'm going to get them out yet Edited by: Oplaii
mine were pretty tight too m8,i sat the alternator in a vice,and pulled on it while pushing hard with a drill,using a good phillips bit. could sit it on the floor if you dont have a vice? and if you dont have a drill? well...do you have a screw driver with a bolt shaped bit? then grip that in the vice,and use a spanner on the driver? says bodgem auto's edit:ahh,vice in your pic! and sometimes there are little 8?mm nuts on the back of a couple of the bolts/screws. Edited by: riley
I used a ratchet and screwdriver bit, pushed down as hard as I could but their not budging, tried some mole grips on them in the middle where they are exposed but still did'nt move.Theirs no nuts on the end of mine, just screwed into the cast.
Thanks again guys I know what you mean they can look awful sometimes, been painting a bit today, a few light dusings with an aerosol gives a really nice finish, i'll have a bash at cleaning it tomorrow and see how it comes up. hopfully it just muck and there is no corrosion, splitting sounds a little to much efort at the minute as my patience is a little short with my car being in a thousand pieces Pete
i took mine appart. and glass bead blasted the case, then sprayed some clear lacqure on them. looks like new.
yeh, when it gets dirty, i just wipe it with some rag with a bit of fuel on. the lacqure protects the aluminium and gives it a smooth surface. ive done it with all my aluminium engine bits.
I've done mine for the Mk1. Pulled it apart, degreased it with prepwash and painted the casing with alloy wheel paint. Pr1ck of a job Alloy wheel paint is a good way to go, though; doesn't look chav or like fake chrome and dries really hard.
for all alternator, aircon compressor and brackets etc, I stripped off all the pulleys, then cleaned all the dirt and crud off with a rotory wire brush in a drill. Then sprayed the parts with acid etch primer then aluminium wheel paint followed by some clear laquer
Andy That looks fantastic! My engine looks jusy like your 'before photo' and i have nearly given up on it, but having seen your efforts.................I might give it a go! I suspect that there was alot of hard work first.... New Years resolution...........! Jules
