So, im building a serpentine system for my duster. Plan is to emulate the frontrunner system on the market, but not exactly. It will essentially be a motor plate used just to hold the accessories (alternator, ac compressor, power steering pump), idlers, and tensioner.
Steel and aluminium are both being considered. Will be ~30 inches tip to tip, but the plate will probably be narrower. It will have 4-8 bolts centrally locating the plate, and hopefully some at the outer edges to provide stiffness.
How thick does in need to be in steel? Aluminium? Im thinking 3/8 steel, 1/2 aluminium. But thats a guess i pulled outta my ass.
3/16 steel or 1/4 aluminum if you are holding an engine.. beyond that.. it's more about how stiff you want.
I guess a good question then is, how stiff does it need to be in this application?
Fueled by Caffeine said:
3/16 steel or 1/4 aluminum if you are holding an engine.. beyond that.. it's more about how stiff you want.
This, and it only needs to be stiff enough to keep the belt from coming off 
So 1/4 aluminium would be stiff enough for this application?
If You were placing the Acc.'s way out from center some extra Bracing Maybe But. that Is Thick Enough. What's the plan for the a/C Compressor ? is that a front mount with a Serpintine belt, or block Mount.
not the best picture, but the plan is essentially to recreate this accessory placement relative to the valve covers width wise, only serpentine. On one plane. Easier to service. Hopefully a little more compact, with slightly more radiator clearance.
Triangulation is your friend here.
There is a very different requirement for a free standing support, vs one that has the load supported at the rear. 1/4 aluminum would be adequate if the alternator is also mounted to the cylinder head, for example. If you intend to hang stuff just off the plate, it would need at least double thickness, says my backyard engineering brain.
Would a couple of sleeves and bolts from the plate to the heads on either end be sufficient for eliminating the flex? Again, im still at napkin drawings. Not anywhere near the beginnings of fabrication.
I am just guessing, but any belt driven component will need to be supported at both ends to keep vibration and twist from breaking things. Heck, the compressor may need three mounting points.
This does sound like an interesting project. Do you have a dummy engine on a stand to mock things up?
In reply to noddaz :
Unfortunately i dont. So all this will have to be done in place. Nothing like making it difficult!
Im hoping to get a rubbing of a bare block at the machine shop to get all the block holes marked out to make a template with. Pipe dream is a bare block with heads sitting on it for those holes as well. Then, transfer the hole patterns onto a sheet of paneling, drill and cut, then make a few as mock up payterns. Wood is a lot cheaper and easier than aluminium for the design phase. And aluminum i can cut relatively complex shapes with a jigsaw. But steel may be the ultimate material of choice.....
Do you have CAD? The block may be readily available to download with some searching on the interwebs.
In reply to 93gsxturbo :
Nope. Unfortunately i can't even use sketchup. Just not trained or able to learn it.
CAD, cardboard aided design. Have done a few rusty body panel templates using this technology. Learning curve is minimal .
thicker than a bowl of oatmeal
pirate
HalfDork
7/12/19 4:30 p.m.
Keep in mind that it’s tough to bend 3/16 or 1/4 inch aluminum without it cracking. Full annealled 5052 might work but 6061 T6 will crack in a heartbeat.
In reply to pirate :
The plan in my head is a flat piece with no bends. So, hopefully it will be the same with metal .
