Sanity Check Please!!!

[justsomeguy]

I swear, my head is a scary place with some of these ideas I have...

I really want to keep the front end of my build really compact. I am considering an electric water pump with a bed mounted radiator and then (Ready?) running an alternator off the flywheel. I figure a bellhousing like this should get me started:

Crazy dudes bellhousing idea...

What do you guys think? Outta my mind, or what?

 

[sgtpontiac]

Lots of 4x4s run alternators off the driveshaft...

I swear, my head is a scary place with some of these ideas I have...

I really want to keep the front end of my build really compact. I am considering an electric water pump with a bed mounted radiator and then (Ready?) running an alternator off the flywheel. I figure a bellhousing like this should get me started:

Crazy dudes bellhousing idea...

What do you guys think? Outta my mind, or what?

You are not crazy.....you are "thinking outside the box"....[cl

 

[skull]

no

not really. the off road guys run the raditor in back with electric fans and l have seen several trucks run the raditor in the bed at car shows.

l seen a kit where you can run the alt off the driveshaft, it attaches to the rear-end housing. the only problem l see is the alt only charges when the vehicles is moving.

Later

 

[hankus]

Right now I'm leaning to.............................or what


}}}---------->

 

[justsomeguy]

not really. the off road guys run the raditor in back with electric fans and l have seen several trucks run the raditor in the bed at car shows.

l seen a kit where you can run the alt off the driveshaft, it attaches to the rear-end housing. the only problem l see is the alt only charges when the vehicles is moving.

Later

I know, I saw the same kit and then started looking at making my own ( I have full machine shop access and a CNC plasma cutter). After more thought, I was worried about getting in a traffic situation like a cruise in night where you crawl for an hour and then the thing dies. The flywheel is the only other way I can think to move it out of the engine compartment.

Maybe I could use an oil driven pump motor to spin the alternator? How much power do you think it takes to spin one a full charging capacity and could a SBC with a high volume/pressure pump drive one?

 

[sgtpontiac]

If you have access to a full bore machine shop...

why not just fab up some really nifty brackets that would relocate the alternator to somewhere very low on the the motor.... would be way less work and money than devising some outlandish set up that might pull more power from the motor than it's worth.... I can remember a generator/power steering pump combo but it was belt driven too.....were you thinking about a gear drive alternator off the flex plate or flywheel??? [S

 

[justsomeguy]

Sarge,

That's exactly what I was thinking.

Another reason for this would be simplicity in motor swaps. Seems like between myself and a couple of close friends, we have a new small block built every week. Think of how easy this would be to use an a "break in stand" with no accesories on it. Plunk in your motor, and GO!

 

[bob w]

Throw a lawnmower engine in the trunk and run the alternator with that.

 

[donsrods]

Throw a lawnmower engine in the trunk and run the alternator with that.

Bob, do you remember a 33 Willys drag car back in the late 50's that did just that? I think it was called the Windjammer Willys, and they used a separate gas engine in the trunk to run the supercharger. I guess it didn't quite work out as you never see any more of those around.

Don

 

[bob w]

Yep, I remember reading about it. You're right, Don, it was a failed experiment.

Another option would be to connect a 12 volt motor to run the alternator. The motor would be powered by the battery and the alternator would recharge the battery. Almost perpetual motion, eh?

 

[donsrods]

I'm going to build an electric car like that...........I'll never have to buy gas again !!!!!!!!!!!!!![cl

 

[Ol Blue]

Another option would be to connect a 12 volt motor to run the alternator. The motor would be powered by the battery and the alternator would recharge the battery. Almost perpetual motion, eh?

I used to work with a guy that wanted to do that for his drag car, and he seriously thought it would work.

Driving off the ring gear of the flywheel would overdrive the alternator way too much and it woul not last very long at all.

 

[Old Iron]

Not insane, we've been runnin these for years
These people will have everything you need [ddev
http://www.krcpower.com/rearalt.html
Jim

 

[Crossfire]

alt. drive

Heck since you want different put a solar panel on the top and mount the alt. anywhere you want it driven by a small electric motor.One of those solar panels off an automatic driveway gate would be big enough.

 

[BigIrish]

I'd vote for the driveshaft driven one. If you use a mechanical fan there shouldn't be too much draw on the battery.

You could have an extra deep cycle battery in the back that you could switch to for running the car at cruise nights at low speed. If it dies, you still have your regular battery as backup.

 

[Willowbilly3]

I also vote for the driveshaft driven one, simplest by far. And also 2 batterys so you aren't draining the one that starts the car if you get in heavy traffic. A good deep cycle would run the fan for hours.
I don't think much of the flywheel driven one, you have enough problems with the flywheel gear on a chevy just trying to keep the starter from eating it up.
Here's an idea, it's been done. Make the flywheel an alternator by fixing magnets to it so it is a the rotor and make a stator to match that you can mount near it somehow.

 

[justsomeguy]

Now that is thinking out of the box. I'm gonna start looking into that...

 

[440shorty]

marine crank-driven alternator

How about an alternator that uses the vibration damper? Mercury Marine 3.7L 4-cyl Mercruiser inboard engines from 1983-1989 had such a thing. My old boss had a Wellcraft 28' cabin cruiser with 3.7L twin Mercruisers in it. Problem was, the alternator didn't charge well at idle to off-idle engine speeds, like when trolling. So, like most people did, he converted to a conventional belt-driven alternator. I found one stator left in stock on one website here. http://www.iboats.com/Mercruiser-Stators/dm/view_id.270461.

If you were to do a lot of low-speed cruising, like parades, you might have trouble, especially at night. Otherwise, the concept is pretty cool - I think the damper had magnets or metal poles made in it to cause electricity to flow in the coils of the stator, which was mounted behind the damper or maybe around it. Maybe you could make something like it for your engine?

In any case, I like the idea of a "clean" minimal engine with no belt-driven accessories. Good luck, and post pics!

440shorty