Fan belt lengths

[Northernstar002]

I have a 1974 mk4 1300 Spitfire. I don't know if our fan belts come in different lengths but I've been looking into the alternator tensioners as an alternative to the standard bracket. From the centre of the bolt near the thermostat to the bolt on the alternator when properly tensioned I'm getting 75mm. For any of the tensioners this is way too short. Many other applications are looking at 85mm minimum.

 

The way around this is to fit a slightly longer belt, but I'd like someone to confirm if the belts actually come in different sizes, and if so, what the part numbers could be.

 

Cheers,

[Dogsbody47uk]

Yes, belts come in different lengths. The belt length is often incorporated into the belt reference number, in millimetres eg a reference containing 1018 is a belt length 1.018 metres. Hope this helps.

[Northernstar002]

Brilliant, 

I presume this is printed on the belt somewhere?

[Dogsbody47uk]

Printed on the label round the belt.

[Paudman]

You can 'reverse engineer' a belt by using a piece of string to find your preferred setting, then measure the length and buy the corresponding belt.

[Clive]

String doesn't work well, it sits too deep in the V and you end up with a belt that is too short (T shirt hanging up in the wardrobe). Best is an oversized belt, and cut that to make a dummy belt and measure, failing that something like electric cable or indeed 10mm thick rope that will sit at the correct height in the V.

[Paudman]

You never asked how long, or thick, the piece of string is that I was referring to. I wasn't talking about the string that went round the piece of brown paper that shoes used to come in, nor the string that holds beans up in the greenhouse. Maybe I should have said cord, or twine, and then specified the thickness, or maybe just suggested an old belt that you can cut and then measure the gap. I was assuming that there is some adjustment available, which may overcome the shortfalls caused by using too fine a string diameter. My mistake.

 

[Chasj]

My '72 Mk. IV doesn't use the fan belt normally supplied, too short.

I use part no.  10A1100C.

Charles