Chris Fowler

I'm thinking about painting my alternator and master cylinder cover to match my valve covers. The master cylinder cover is straight forward to paint.

If I paint the alternator, what do I need to avoid getting paint on? The connectors is one obvious answer. Are there holes to avoid? Should I paint with a brush or can I spray it directly?

thanks

67HEAVEN

WARNING: Not too much thought into this answer, Chris, but I think I would disassemble it and paint the case while empty.

Chris Fowler

Hmm...hadn't thought about that. Any idea how much of a mess it is to remove the case from an alternator?

67HEAVEN

It's been 30 years since I did one, but shouldn't be too hard.......just count the left over pieces when you're done! :jester

dladd74roadster

Getting the guts out of the Alternator isn't any big deal. A couple of things:
1. Pay very close attention to the orientation of the rear half in relation to the front half. Otherwise, you will get it together and the bolt holes won't be in the correct location.

2. If you have never done one, you will need to know this. Before putting the alternator back together, you will need to re-install the brushes into their carrier. They will pop out when you take it apart and be dangling by their leads. Don't worry, they are supposed to do that. To retain them while you put the unit back together, use a paper clip. Put the brushes back into the carrier (against the springs) and insert a paper clip through the back of the alternator to hold them. There are corresponding holes in the carrier for this purpose as well as a hole in the back of the aluminum case. Once you get the alternator back together, just pull the paper clip out from the rear of the alternator and you are done.

Other than that, there is really no way to screw it up. You can remove all of the parts from the case and paint it. I wouldn't remove the bearings. Just smear some grease on them before you paint and then clean it off before reassembly.

Hope this helps.

dl

Chris Fowler

Sounds like a little bit of an adventure, but not too bad.

Just gotta get hold of the paint I need. The alternator looks like crap, so this needs to be done. :yesnod:

My75Vette

Just be sure to keep an eye on those springs when they take a leap when you separate the halves :crazy:
one more thing that people forget when they paint stuff........It retains heat :yesnod:

Chris Fowler

Hmm...is that an arguement against painting an alternator? :eek:

yellow 72

Since you have to dissasemble and remove the internals anyway, why not just replace the case and pulley with a chrome kit?
Best price I could find was Yearwood speed and custom $39.00. http://www.yearwood.com :cheers:

Chris Fowler

Not really looking to put chrome under the hood...too much trouble to keep clean. :D

I've got a great graphite paint that was used on my valve covers that would look great on the alternator.

bl75vette

After removing the alternator I just went to the local hardware store and bought a copper tubing brush. It is used for cleaning the tubing prior to soldering. It works well on all metal sufaces and made my alternator look new. Just my 2c$