CS-130 -> CS144 Install

[colbythekid]

CS-130 -> CS-144

I bought a CS-144 170amp alternator for the Suburban and am in the process of trying to install it. I have the CS-130 out and the bracket that bolts to the intake and back of the alternator off. The CS-144 is in and I have it lined up and bolted down in two spots.

I was looking to see if anyone had pictures of a bracket that they fabricated for the third point.

Attached are some pictures of the project.

Colby

 

[buddy]

i did the same thing as you to get mine going, but it was flimsy with the bracket the way you have off the tensioner and no 3rd point. But what I think others have done is just make a new bracket off the tensioner that was straight, so it didnt bend backwards and you have to offset it making it even more flimsy. Im not sure any 3rd point is used after using a straight bracket instead. I took CS144 off after testing simply because it was for a strereo amplifier installation that hasnt happened yet.

A straight bracket would still need a washer to put it a bit back from the tensioner since it doesnt line up perfect, but should work a lot better.

What would be ideal is a claw like thing that went both in front of and behind the top foot there. Maybe a machine shop can fabricate it for you out of 3/16" or 1/4" steel. Like the attached drawing I made. If someone could fabricate them they could sell them to people like us as a bolt on modifaction. I didnt put measurements in but wouldnt take long to figure out.


Did you get the 62mm pulley to match our diameter to run the tach correctly?

 

[colbythekid]

Creating a new bracket was my first idea. I went to the local scrap metal yard and picked up a piece of steal that I was going to use, but then thought that flipping the current bracket would work out for me. But after the install I agree that without that third point it is not very sturdy.

I asked for the 62mm pulley but it did not come with it. Had to take it off the old alternator and put it on the new one. Looks like I might be putting the CS-130 back on till I can get another support created.

On a side note how was that rocket launch at Vandenberg last week?

Colby

 

[buddy]

The launch went very well, other than it didnt shake the ground as much as expected, could have been louder

 

[Brooklyn Tow]

Didn't someone swap a 144 and it was a straight replacment.........No fab needed?

 

[buddy]

On later trucks it might be when the alternator is on the passenger side. The brackets are different then.

 

[colbythekid]

I think that in 96 they changed the configuration and the alt is on the passangers side not the drivers like the 95. I know BigT has the 99 and CS-144 fit right in.

Colby

 

[handcannon]

I recently did the CS 130 to CS 144 swap. I re-worked the rear bracket that bolts to the intake manifold. I did take some pics but I'm computor challanged so it may take me a while to get my pics posted.

Don

 

[colbythekid]

I recently did the CS 130 to CS 144 swap. I re-worked the rear bracket that bolts to the intake manifold. I did take some pics but I'm computor challanged so it may take me a while to get my pics posted.

Don

Can you email me the pics? I could then post them.

Colby

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

If you're a member at DP, you can see where I posted teh brackets taht I used on mine many moons back.

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52202&page=2

 

[colbythekid]

I looks like you cut the bracket to make room for the alt then welded a piece of metal to the bracket to hold the alt?

Did it work well for you?

Maybe I should just upgrade to a DMAX?

Colby

 

[Big T]

I think that in 96 they changed the configuration and the alt is on the passangers side not the drivers like the 95. I know BigT has the 99 and CS-144 fit right in.

Colby

Colby, I did put in a bigger 170 amp alternator, but it does not look like what you're installing here. It's a larger version of the stock alternator for the '99. This one here looks like a larger version of the stock alternator for the '95.

Is the bracket you're talking about that strut coming from the tensioner?

 

[colbythekid]

Is the bracket you're talking about that strut coming from the tensioner?

No the bracket that I am talking about is behind the alternator. It attaches to the stock alternator at the top drivers side and the bottom.

Look at the second picture that I posted. You see the black bracket that has a hole in the center of it? It is under the radiator hose.

That is the bracket that needs to be modified.

Also on the second picture you see where the cable is hanging by the power steering? The alt bolts onto that bracket right above the wire. The other bracket that is attached to the belt tensioner I just flipped and added that spacer and it works great.

Colby

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

I took a piece of 1/4" X 1" plate and used it for the upper mount, and I cut the rear one off and welded on a piece of 1" angle iron I had for the rear support. The factory CS-144 installs didn't use a rear bracket though, but I felt better with extra support.

 

[buddy]

I have been running about 20,000 miles without the back support for the stock alternator. So if you were to make a better bracket for the front then it should be OK

 

[Brooklyn Tow]

I took a piece of 1/4" X 1" plate and used it for the upper mount, and I cut the rear one off and welded on a piece of 1" angle iron I had for the rear support. The factory CS-144 installs didn't use a rear bracket though, but I felt better with extra support.

So "one time, in a land far, far, away and a long time ago,".....The "Burbanator" actually had a running 6.5TD?............Was there any particular reason for the D-Max swap or was it purely a need for more power and/or, having what just about, "no one else has?"

Just Curious :???:

 

[handcannon]

Rear Bracket Mods

Pic 1:
This is the rear bracket. It is setting upside down as shown. I cut the bracket so it could be offset to compensate for the additional depth of the CS 144. This pic shows it the way it would have looked prior to cutting.

Pic 2:
This pic shows how much offset it needed. I don't remember now what the offset amount was. I just measured the difference in depth between the CS 130 and the CS 144 at the brackets' mounting point. The rear bearing on the CS 144 protrudes back past the mounting point for the bracket. So I added extra for that clearance then made spacers to compensate. I then welded the bracket back together.

It was getting late and dark. Needing to get the mod finished and being in a hurry I missed getting pics of this next part of the bracket mod.

In this pic (Pic #2)the two bolt holes in the vertical part of the bracket go to the back of the alternator. The distance between does not match to the bolt holes on the CS 144. I cut the upper part of the bracket off horizontally left and right of the egg shaped hole, leaving the bolt hole farthest to the right still on the main part of the bracket. The other part of the bracket that I just cut off I repositioned to match the spacing on the CS 144. I did have to do some additional bending of the main part of the bracket (parallel to my very first cut and weld) to get it to line up where I wanted the alt to set. My goal was to be able to re-use the origional belt which meant the alt had to set within 1/8th inch of the belt tensioner. This was due to the physically larger size of the CS 144.

Pic 2:
This is not a very clear pic but it's the only one I have of the finished bracket before I installed it.

This is the completed bracket shown setting in the same position it will be in when mounted on the motor. Although it's not very clear I added a "C" shaped piece of flat stock to the rear of the modified bracket. This supports the upper radiator hose and keeps it from rubbing on the alt bracket. I have a later dual therm crossover which routes the hose behind the alt.

Pic 4:
This pic shows the completed mod with the CS 144 installed.

Pic 5:
Just above and a bit to the left of the motor lift point you can barely see the rad hose support. You can also see the short piece of flat stock I used to replace the offset bracket that supported and located the upper part of the alt.

Pics 6 & 7:
Additional views of the completed install.

Wish I knew how to get the explanations between the pics, but this will have to do. It is getting late and I'm leaving early in the morning with my son for a ten hour drive to deliver some stuff to some of his co-workers where they are working. Hope this all comes out right. If not I'll have to take care of it after we get home tomorrow evening.

Don

PS: in pic #4 you can see that I have the early type of tensioner that does not have an easy way to get any kind of wrench or tool on it to facilitate removal/re-install of the belt. If I have enough time tomorrow evening I'll post some pics of a quick homemade tool I made to take tension off for easy belt R&R.

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

So "one time, in a land far, far, away and a long time ago,".....The "Burbanator" actually had a running 6.5TD?............Was there any particular reason for the D-Max swap or was it purely a need for more power and/or, having what just about, "no one else has?"

Just Curious :???:

Up until 01/09 the BURB was in fact a running driving 6.5 powered 4X4 BURB with 4.10 gears. I pulled the engine out because it would blow coolant out everytime you would build more than 2 pounds of boost and was REALLY hard to start along with the trans would slip ocasionally. Got it out and found that the 6.5 needed new pistons due to bad injectors, and both head gaskets were blown. The trans is a GM reman, but from teh ones I have torn down in the past they normally need the most work to fix. I do ALOT of custom builds for people out of my shop, but my struff was always getting put aside and left stock. So I decided to build myself something custom and unique that would be a reaql sleeper. And so evolved the 95 DURABURB.

 

[Brooklyn Tow]

Up until 01/09 the BURB was in fact a running driving 6.5 powered 4X4 BURB with 4.10 gears. I pulled the engine out because it would blow coolant out every time you would build more than 2 pounds of boost and was REALLY hard to start along with the trans would slip occasionally. Got it out and found that the 6.5 needed new pistons due to bad injectors, and both head gaskets were blown. The trans is a GM reman, but from the ones I have torn down in the past they normally need the most work to fix. I do ALOT of custom builds for people out of my shop, but my struff was always getting put aside and left stock. So I decided to build myself something custom and unique that would be a real sleeper. And so evolved the 95 DURABURB.

Fair enough...Did you just happen to have a spare complete donor truck/drive-train laying around, or.....How did that come to be?

Now after you know the time, labor and obstacles involved with such a project.....What dollar amount would it take to duplicate that build?

Also, after the "DURABURB" has had it's 2 year birthday, what kind of problems have you had (if any) besides the regular/common 6.6 (is it?) issues.....(build tweaks)?

Lastly, would you have done anything different now that "you know?"

 

[Big T]

And can you post a step-by-step Duraburb conversion with pics? Pretty please!