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Alternator install - The directions say use old 5 inch bolt. In my case the 1.9 with old alternator, it was a 3/8 bolt. The new alternator requires a 5/16 bolt, so be prepared because the 5/16 bolt did not come with the kit. It put that part of the project on hold for a day while I found a bolt. Second, it's not the easiest thing in the project to get to. I had to use a 2 foot extension with a u-joint socket connection to come at it at an angle. Lots of stuff in the way. The next time around I might consider welding a tab on the bolt to keep it from turning so that I only need to tighten from the pulley side. Once again I would have to look at it with at least the manifold off to see if a tab is practical.

You need to have a new style alternator on Gen3. When you buy a new updated alternator kit it comes with 5 inch bolt. So if you had new alternator you would have it. Even if you bought before the Gen3 came out the kit came with updated bracket and bolts to mount new alt. to new bracket. Bracket not used on Gen3. It comes with its own bracket just reuse new style alt. 5 inch bolt and new upper bolt that comes in Gen3 kit. So I'm missing something? Sounds like it did not come in the new alt. update kit. It should have. I bought 3 and bolt came with mine. I agree it is a pain to tighten it and the tab thing sounds like a great idea. Thanks

What I'm saying is the directions says is reuse old bolt. When you go from a 1.9 old alternator to a new 1.6 and new alternator you do not reuse the old 3/8 bolt. If the 5/16 had come with the alternator it wouldn't have been confusing. If the directions had said use 5/16 bolt I might have figured it out before I need it, maybe. That said all is well because I found the 5/16 bolt close to home. I believe that the alternator dose not come as a kit as much as the CSR puts it to together from parts and in my case the 5/16 bolt missed.

BIG LESSON - If you are coming from the old alternator on the 1.9 to the new alternator on the 1.6 do not wire it the same way. On page 29 of the manual, I believe some assumptions have been made that you are taking the new alternator from the 1.9 to the 1.6 so no wiring description is given. If you put green(+12V) under the plus post and use the black wire (ground) and put it under the acorn (+12v) nut no good will come of it!!!!!!. You do not use the old black wire from the old 1.9 old alternator install. I'm not sure if instructions should have came with the new alternator, but if they do I didn't get them. If you go to the last page of the manual in the appendix it will give the proper wiring description. Unfortunately I did not.

Should receive my 1.6 any day now, spent last weekend re-routing the fire suppression system to the right side of the chassis. Might be useful to have the manual include some tips on doing this for those DIY'ing. For example, welding in the fire bottle support is trivial if you already have the equipment, can do it when welding in the left-side ground bung. Being budget-constrained and not wanting to get into tube flaring, I think I can re-use the tubing, others might not be so lucky.

JDHew wrote:Should receive my 1.6 any day now, spent last weekend re-routing the fire suppression system to the right side of the chassis. Might be useful to have the manual include some tips on doing this for those DIY'ing. For example, welding in the fire bottle support is trivial if you already have the equipment, can do it when welding in the left-side ground bung. Being budget-constrained and not wanting to get into tube flaring, I think I can re-use the tubing, others might not be so lucky.

Hmm. I have a year to think about it, but I was really hoping that I could tackle this build. I wasn't counting on learning how to weld over the winter! The "tools required" section might need to be updated too. Of course this time last year I couldn't do an alignment.

The welds (for the ground lugs) are easy ones. There are no deal breakers for the average person doing this. Just read the instructions carefully and read these posts, and the rest will fall in place (no pun intended). I just started my conversion and it is going smoothly.

DaveP

When I am looking at the full size drawing of how to bend the shifter shaft, I assume the left side of the drawing (where there is a bend 5 inches from the end) is toward the back of the car (right)?

DaveP

yes from the end at trans about 5 inches it bends toward the right rear wheel then back toward normal angle of the stock rod.

Thanks!