fan belt rubbing hose.

pat in Santa Cruz

pat in Santa Cruz

Well-known member
I've been working on an early 29 station wagon lately with a powerhouse gen on it. The radiator is a repop, and the lower hose fitting is too close to the fan belt, which rubs and cuts into the hose right behind the clamp.. Other than replacing the radiator, I was thinking a smaller fan belt might do the trick. I tried another new fan belt from Brattons, but its the same size as what was on the car, an old original red belt with the Ford part number on it. Does anyone have info on a smaller belt that will still fit on the car without cramming the generator right up against the block?

TIA
Pat
 
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I thought I had a better picture of the powerhouse and hose, but this is all I could find. I can't see how the fan belt can rub on the hose no matter what the length is. With the pulley so much smaller than the generator body, I don't see how it can come close to the hose. If I remember, I'll take a better picture of the one on my car.

To get a smaller belt I'd take the one you have to the auto parts store, or any good hardware store and see if they don't have one a half inch shorter. Or you can try an inch if it will still go on.

Pat, when you said "POWERHOUSE" were you really meaning to say "ALTERNATOR", and the fan is cutting the hose?
 
There has to be a plausable answer to this problem...is there another car in the neighborhood that is of similar production that you can look at?

Interesting Pat!

Pluck
 
I think the plausable cause is a poor repro radiator. I'm hoping someone knows what the next size smaller belt is or is for ( 216 chevy??) the problem with taking it to an auto store is going to be finding a fat belt in stock.
 
Pat,

Most vender belts are about 44 inch belts. I used 43s for this problem. It was years ago so I might be wrong on the 44 number but they can measure your short belt at the store.

5L-43 at auto parts stores. 5L is width and pitch angle of wedge part of belt.
 
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I just went out and took these two pictures of my 28, so we can better see the problem. Pat, as you say, the problem lies with the repro radiator having the bottom pipe point straight back instead of at an angle. I'd bet even a 1/2" shorter belt would fix the problem.

Farmalls, Chevy 216's, and Model A's all used the same belt. Fleet-Farm has a good supply of 5/8" belts, as would lawn mower shops, and some auto parts stores.

BTW, looking down on my belt in the first picture, someone might think it looks like it's too loose, but it isn't. The belt doesn't whip, and the generator and fan don't slip, so it's tight enough.
 
Pat, do you have the early style lower radiator tube or a repro? The repros are wrong for 28-29, and will position the hose too high.
 
Pat, A picture would really help us to see what you have... Take a good look @ Tom`s first picture of the one on his car.. I can see no way the belt or pulley can hit the hose or pipe with out hitting the lower section of the P/H first.. I just went & looked @ my 1928 & 29, Both look just like his does.. The 28 has an Original belt & the 29 has a Walt B belt & I see no difference in height..
 
Pat in Santa Cruz ....................
Why don't you tell where you bought this radiator, so other powerhouse owners will not do the same thing. It might be fine for the standard generator.
MIKE :)
 
Also have you checked to see if it has the correct front cover on it & also the right P/H type water pipe..
 
Fred said:
Also have you checked to see if it has the correct front cover on it & also the right P/H type water pipe..
Click to expand...
The front cover is correct and still mounted to the frame. It does not have the early pipe, but the belt is actually hitting the outlet, so changing the pipe would not accomplish much. Comparing Toms pics to mine, the outlet is clearly about 1/2 inch further to center than Toms. Another Repro nightmare. I'm gonna try a shorter hose. The owner just called and said he has another radiator. More work than changing a belt, but that might ultimately be the solution. Of course it could be made by the same shop. :( I think its called Murphys radiator shop.
 
I went with the 5L-43 as suggested by Benson. The 44 allowed my powerhouse to make contact with the rad hose; mind you, it was the genny not the pulley that was touching.
 
I carry a NAPA fan belt part #25-10800/20426 as a spare part. It is a little shorter than the typical Model a belt from Model A suppliers. When I installed it, I was just able to get it on the alternator pully by bringing the alternator up to the block. That is why it remains my spare and not a runner. However, I think this just might fix your porblem. Good Luck!
 
Pat,

Another problem I have seen on 3 brush Powerhouse is that where the generator mount contacts the timing gear cover, there is an indentation that on some generators is large enough so that the generator is cocked as the indentation in the gen bracket allows the generator to tilt.

See attachment photo and notice the orange circle that I have drawn on the bracket.

I found a correct ID and OD size thin washer to fill the void.

Enlarging the photo makes the orange circle more visiable...

This MIGHT tilt the Power House enough to rub the hose ... the problem I had was that the genset pulley did not line up correctly with crank and water pump pulleys.

NOTE: I am using a Model A timing cover of unknown year so maybe the TC boss is larger on later covers...
 

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