Vertex alternator housing
 

I'm rebuilding a stock 3.2 and upon cleaning/inspecting, I notice the fan housing has a big crack in it.

Has anyone used one of the Vertex Aluminum alternator housings and fan? I received one today and without fitting it, the part does look good. Not quite die-cast smooth, but reasonable for a reproduction. I will be fitting it this weekend.

After looking at the old housing, I'm wondering if I can TIG weld it with magnesium filler rod (AZ101). Anyone have any experience in repaired alternator housings?

I should post a pic.

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If it were a fan housing from a four-cam carrera I'd say weld it in a shielding box.

It's not-- these are freely available in the classifieds.

Maybe the quality of the Vertex part has improved, but the last one I saw would make a nice holder for a potted plan :)

The fan spins at a multiple of engine RPM depending on pulley configuration so this is not an area to take any chances.

A good friend of mine is in the process of making a billet AL version of the fan housing. He has the CAD done, and is working to find someone who can mill it. I've heard mixed reviews of the Vertex one, everything from its perfect to it's not worth a darn thing.

Thanks.

I'll post pics this weekend. It's aluminum, and it's cast. I'll know more when I go to fit it up, but frankly, it doesn't look bad.

Btw, if these are so freely available 304065, send me one!

I bought a vertex to replace a cracked shroud. Visually it's not as nice looking as oem but the alternator and fan fit perfectly. I didn't want to try to repair a 30+ year old part that would probably just crack again. Salesman at vertex told me this is version 3 and the fit is improved from earlier models. Little heavier since its aluminum instead of Mag.

I have one and it is rather crude but works.

The 3.2 alternator housings are prone to these cracks and are very hard to find without them. In the past few years I have seen close to a dozen of these and only found 1 or 2 that were crack free.

The 90 watt alternator in the 3.2 is longer and, as a result, the alternator mount face on the shroud got thinner making these units prone to cracks.

I fitted the one I have and it seems to be just fine. Not Die-Cast magnesium, but looks to be of good quality none-the-less.



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Any comments? I think the Vertex unit looks reasonable. Not polished chrome, but it seems like it will work and has no crack.

I got a vertex housing a year ago. I dropped my new valeo alt into it and looks like the thru bolts are not long enough. Not a problem in your case?

Did you also get the vertex fan? Is there a difference between oem and vertex?

In my mind the questions is, did Vertex do anything in their design to eliminate the chronic cracking problem in these late alternator shrouds?

The alternator fitment in terms of bolt length might be the size/amperage of the alternator? They come in various sizes for different years to account for the current demand of the car. The later cars had more electrical stuff and thus the need to up the wattage of the alt.

Tom was gracious enough to share this chart he made in past posts. It tells a lot of the story.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1331821188.jpg

I'd be curious to know the dimensions of the Vertex housing to see how it compares to all the other variants Porsche made. Does Vertex sell just one size fits all or do they make different sizes?

Aluminum vs Mag. Don't know if the part is thicker since someone bought my old cracked shroud. Certainly is heavier in weight. Even if it was the same, another 30 years of use would suit me. NOS would be nice but way beyond my means even if still available. Flat6pack (Bruce) told me he is a fan and he sure knows WAY more than me.

Google there website. They have many sizes. I called and ordered on the phone to make sure I ordered correct one. Showed up 2 business days later.

Mine fit with no issues. All the alternator bolts were just the right length for the housing they sent.

I like it. I only wish it had the part number instead of Vertex and the phone number.

It is a bit heavier and from what I understand, the aluminum housing should be less crack prone than the magnesium housing. Heavier, but stronger.

I've TIG welded these a with AZ rod. use thinest rod you can get and make light passes to build up a base for the final welds. I do this to prevent the impurities from surfacing and ruining the final welds. Too much heat will bring the impurities to the surface. Use a dental tool to clean out pockets when the impurities surface.

Well, we tried to weld the cracks in my fan housing last night. The mag corrosion was so deep the weld would not take. So I am off to buy a new vertex housing, I will post pictures when I get it.

:(

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the quality was of an aluminum cast part. It seems to be pretty good quality.
I had just a couple of issues with it but nothing major.

pictures will follow of the problems.

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the casting had slightly different positions for these two bolt holes at the top of the casting. No big deal really. I just drilled the shroud to match the housing.

This is going on the 930 so I was worried about depth of housing, ect...
The alternator was TIGHT going in...I mean tight! However it did go in...so It problaby will be a real ***** getting it out. But all in all, it was a good by, I would recommend it. next time I take it out, I will shave off the "Vertex" and the part number, make it smooth and powercoat it.

Thanks for the help and info!

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I got a Vertex alternator mount not long after they started offering them. With the engine out a few months ago, I noted that the timing mark on the mount was 5 degrees ATDC. So I ran for those several years with the timing 5 degrees retarded from what I thought it was running.

My TDC mark is off by at least that much as well but BTDC.

I filed a new groove at the TDC location and then filled it with white paint to stand out against the molded one.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1337534961.jpg

Without flash:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1337535199.jpg

Me too. Missed the memo about blue and red paints, tho'.

When you live close to the smurf turf, you gotta wear the colors.

Vertex showed me two versions of their housing... painted and non painted. I got the non-painted. The alternator slipped in easily with the last mm or so being a pull in (tight) fit. Fan centered. I'm about to strap it onto case... notes above are a good heads-up for what may come! (Photo below is Porsche fan propped up to working height in Vertex housing.)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1354876827.jpg

I bought the Vertex one and yes, it needed a bit of tweeking to get a proper fit but all in all, it worked out well.

It's funny now that those have chimed in after I tried it on my 3.2. When I "fitted" the one to the engine I built, I used a dremel tool and opened up the area that sits over the dowel to make the timing mark align with the case seam. I never even considered adding a new mark for TDC..... While either way works, after adjusting the area for the case dowel, the threaded holes aligned better for the shroud on the top side. Perhaps this is really what Vertex needs to adjust in order to improve their product. So far, so good with the Vertex fan housing......