Good luck Hugh I noted you have refured to the belt section as A ,is this the same as the original .I ask because when I replaced my belts I found that A section ran to high in the groove on all pulleys .I used M section belts they sit in just fine. \Keith. Original Message ----- From: "Hugh & Therese" <hugtrees@xxxxxxxx> To: "Imperial Mailing List" <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, December 31, 2002 5:40 PM Subject: IML: 392 Belts. Fairly good news. > Gosh, us folks with 58's are about to become somewhat unwelcome around here, > I fear. I totally missed the exchanges following Doug's post on Sunday. > After it came in, I lost contact with IML. My, my. I'm glad I did. I was > returned to contact with the IML just in time to see Jeff's post asking > everyone to cool it. I must go the archives when I can to see what I > missed. > > (Suffice it to say I am hard core MOPAR, and my rebuilt stock generator is > just fine, thanks, with no need for any kind of so-called upgrade.) > > Anyhoo, my belt situation has been coming along. The first sets of belts I > acquired using the numbers from Andy Bernbaum, were too big. The numbers I > got from Mikey seemed to cause even more confusion, I'm afraid. I removed > the remaining, smaller, belt from the car and also measured the length > required for the larger ones with some string. > > I returned the belts to NAPA. I ended up with a correct pair, the shorter > ones. Their NAPA number is 7420. The middle two numbers are the ones > relevant to length. 42 inches. Unfortunately, the larger set was now too > small. I started of with 7730 (73 inch) belts. I measured 65 1/2 inches > using the string, but the 7650 belts, which it actually says on the label > are 65 5/8 inches long, were significantly too short. > > I figure that using string is not very effective. It was very light string > and I pulled it tight, so I must have lost an inch or two, since I was > measuring from the very bottom of the ridges on all three pulleys. > > Now, you just know how thrilled NAPA was to see me again. Actually, the > guys at the warehouse are pretty cool. It is some twenty miles from where I > live and who knows how many other parts stores I will drive by on my way > there, but sometimes you have to, if I may dare be so corny, go the extra > mile. I came home with no less than five different lengths of belts. A 66, > 67 ,68, 69 & a 70 belt. I will go out to the garage tomorrow and see which > one fits best. To return the extras and get a second one of the correct > length will involve a fourth trip back there. One hundred and sixty miles, > all told, to replace some belts. Oh well. > > So who said having a 58 was actually supposed to be fun? > > The good new is that although I did have to remove the radiator fan and the > belt pulley that goes between it and the water pump, I did not have to > remove the fan shroud or drain the radiator in order to remove the hose that > would have impeded removal of the fan. With some gentle movement I was able > to move the fan one way and the pulley the other. Even better is that to > re-install the larger set of belts, it is quite easy to slip them past the > fan blades. The generator is designed to be adjustable, so I anticipate no > more significant problems in making one of the belts I got today fit. > > At last, a note of optimism. > > Hugh > > > >