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Lucas to GM/Delco Alternator Swap
Watch that pulley position!

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Pulley Position
   While working on these conversions, I've noticed something quite surprising. You'll need to be very careful determining which pulley is mounted on your Lucas unit to determine proper mount spacing of a GM/Delco unit. As built, alignment might easily end up far enough out to have the fan belt jump on you if the pulleys aren't lined up properly.

    Also, the pulleys vary in outside diameter. This means the Lucas alternator will spin at different speeds in the same setup.  If you've ever had a problem with your idiot light being on at an idle, you may want to consider tracking down one of the smaller pulleys. This would increase the speed of the alternator at idle and solve at least part of the Lucas 'low output' problem at idle.

    The following photo show the variations in the pulley in respect to its 'protrusion' distance from the mount flanges, and the various pulley diameters.

    Note: all these units are supposedly the exact same model for the same vehicle. Oh well... just one more Lucas oddity.

The three diameters found: 2.865", 2.700", 2.495"
        The three 'protrusions : 0.865", 0.700" , 0.800"
The 'v'groove depth and angles are all identical.

alt_pulley_compare.jpg (33476 bytes)
Distance differences. Mount surface to belt positions.

3altpulleycompare.jpg (33690 bytes)
Also notice the differences in the face of the pullies

Left - is a taper recess and plateau out to the rim
Center - is a milled 'groove' and cylindrical center nut relief
Right - is tapered but a stepped lip at the outer diameter

Can anyone identify these different pulley variations?
They are all 'supposedly  the 'same' alternator Lucas (17AC)
So what model? year? vehicle do they belong to?
Submit your  guess?   thoughts?   info?

 

  Alternator Conversion
Home page
  Alternator
modifications
 
 The "J" bracket
modifications
Electrical  
wiring
 
 Watch that
Pulley Position

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last edited 12/06/09
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