This is the story of my winter project..

This started out as something to build out of stuff I had , as a low buck build..

Read how this became a Government project, with MASSIVE cost overruns, redesign, add ons, etc... and became out of control...

peterj

Hooterville, NY 13787

ATHS Online Division Charter Member

The plan

I'd seen on the web, a bracket to install a delco alt on a small gas engine.. I had a couple of old alt  in the shed so all I needed was a cheep engine. I found one at Northern Tool on sale ,$149.

Note;$$$- this sign will show were the cost goes out of control

I ordered one and ordered the bracket from the web.

The engine ended up costing $180( shipping)..$$$

The bracket was only about $20 , raw.. Then you need pulleys, and a belt...  $$$

The plan was to mount this on the back of the mack, and could be used it charge batteries and to jump start other trucks, etc.. It could also be used to fast charge RV batteries.. Also by adding some batteries, and an inverter I could have 120V.  I had some old batteries, and 2 old inverters in the shed.. Shouldn't cost that much...lol

peterj

Hooterville, NY 13787

ATHS Online Division Charter Member

The engine arrives

This is what I started with,

This is a 6hp, cheep clone of a honda.

What's the first thing when you get something new? Take it apart! I couldn't have a blue engine on a red truck...

painted the pieces

peterj

Hooterville, NY 13787

ATHS Online Division Charter Member

Starting the build

After painting it's time to start building. First reassemble..

I wanted to quiet this gen, and build a cover (box) around it. To Keep the vibration down I got some isolators to mount this to the deck. I got these from mack, I don't know what they were for.

The steel pieces mount to the engine, and then the isolators go between  them and the deck. The white ,is a dense foam with rubber washers under the steel.

now we start the assembly. gen mount first..

 then the first mock up

this was with an old alt from the shed, and a 4in pulley. The alt didn't work, and I needed a larger drive pulley. One of the things I wanted this unit to do, was to be able to run slow when I didn't need full power. I got a new $$$ alt that was 100A, and a 5in pulley.

 the pulley on the alt was a 3/8 automotive, the pulley on the engine was an industrial A, 1/2in.  I bought a 1/2 pulley for the alt. $$$

next chapter, exhaust

peterj

Hooterville, NY 13787

ATHS Online Division Charter Member

I'm going to have this connected to batteries. Allso they don't put out full amps for long periods.. smoke again..

peterj

Hooterville, NY 13787

ATHS Online Division Charter Member

Exhaust

Putting this unit in a box, and trying to quiet it, I needed to do something with the exhaust. I first thought that the motor would have a threaded exhaust, like briggs& sratton. I pulled the muffler and pipe off, no luck.. The port was not threaded, it wasn't even round. D shaped. I looked around to find a flange that I could weld a new pipe too. I didn't want to cut my muffler up till I found something that would work..  No parts for the chinese clones. A new muffler for a honda was $80.. no way!!!

After measuring the space I had for the unit in the box, I found out I could leave the muffler on, but still needed to route the exhaust out of the box.I took the heat shield off and there were 2 exhaust ports out of the muffler covered with screen. I poped the screens out, and the holes would be close to 1/2 in pipe size. I went to Lowes and got a bag of fittings, and 1 long elbow of 3/4 in elec conduit. Then I needed to find some 1 in flex pipe.

I called all over, no one had 1 in.. Napa listed it but you had to buy a 25 ft roll. Called all the napas in an increasing circle.. 40 mi away a store had some. Road trip.When I got there , talking to one of the owners, he bought the roll to put on his gen to quiet it.  lol

Put the mess togather and needed to weld the thing to the muffler.

I'm not good at welding, and realy bad at thin stuff.. After welding and burning holes, (half was thick, and half was real thin) I got out the JB to seal it. lol I cut the heat shield to fit over the pipes and painted it. Doesn't look to bad and the JB held.

The next thing I had to add a brace at the top of the alt bracket. Too much flex and vibration.

 added a brace to the exhaust at the flex

peterj

Hooterville, NY 13787

ATHS Online Division Charter Member

Road test

I took it outside for a test. Hooked it up to the old fuel tank ( I have a large tank mounted on the truck) and fired it up.

it ran good..tested the muffler with the heat gun.. 450-500 deg..

I thought that was a little hot, as it's going to be close in the box.

I built a cover for it (the muffler and factory heat shield) out of 22ga steel and put hushmat on top.  Couldn't read it with the heat gun , but you could put your hand on it.. ran it for over 30 min, fast and slow..

With all the exhaust, it was real quiet. I think it will be very quiet when I get it in the box with sound surppression.

.

 BTW.. I don't think i'll have too much trouble cooling this as the fan on the alt moves a lot of air. Maybe more that the engine fan.

peterj

Hooterville, NY 13787

ATHS Online Division Charter Member

Battries and some electric info..

I had 4 rv 12v batts in my shed, I charged them and tested, two were DOA! The two that were left I kept in the shed. By time I get to this project, they were dead. I charged them up again, they went dead again. lol.  $$$ I bought 2 new 6v golf cart battries, Deka , GC15. I got golf cart batts because they last better with long slow discharge than starting batts.

I tested these with my 1000 watt inverter, and pluged in an electric heater for a load.I ran it for an hour, switching between 500 w and 1000 w. I tried 1500w a few times but the inverter kicked out. The inverter is supposed to be 2000 peak, but if I was running it at 1000 w, and switched to 1500 w load it lasted 7 sec. If I was running at 500 w and switched to 1500 w load, it lasted 23 sec. I think I might need a bigger inverter $$$. After this testing for an hour, the battries were still good. They only took 1 hr to recharge with my 10 a charger,(90%) and another hour to top off (100%).

peterj

Hooterville, NY 13787

ATHS Online Division Charter Member

More elec

The way i'm hooking this up, I can charge these batts with the small motor or with the truck. Also I can use the truck batts or the unit batts for the load, or both. The truck already has a disconnect in the ground connection. When I get the unit batts installed they will have a ground disconnect too.  Then I have a 250a cont/ 2500a intermittent solenoid to connect the positive of both.

The disconnect for the truck was from flaming river.

The one I bought for the unit was from summit racing, and they appear to be the same!

The solenoid  was painless wiring, but I bought it from summit too.

The inverter will have its own switch, as well as a seperate switch for the 12 v connection to the jumpers or trailer connection.

I got some HD jumper cables from Tractor Supply, and a connecter from napa. The connector is for truck tail gates, or other high amp use.

more later

peterj

Hooterville, NY 13787

ATHS Online Division Charter Member