Hi all. 1994 +8, the engine/gearbox has to come out to fix a gearbox problem. Among other things the alternator needs to be removed prior to the big lift out. Having sweated blood and used every spanner in the tool box to undo the three alternator mounting bolts it seems that the front bolt is too long to remove. The front of the car is to the right of the photo. The head of the bolt contacts the inner wing surface long before it clears the bracket.
Am I missing a trick? or do I have to remove the alternator mounting bracket which is bolted to the cylinder head?
Yes, you are missing a trick. But you are lucky. The classic Plus 8s were designed while the Factory still reacted, often, to the problems of access. Do you see the long vertical slot in the characteristic Plus 8 bulge on the adjacent valence? The sneaky fellas at the MMC put it there to give you access to the BRACKET bolt you cannot access from below or the side. Trying to remove the alternator only is a PIA. It was not planned that way. Remove it wit the bracket
BTW, the MMC alternator you have is of obscure Italian origin (at least for overseas folk) and NOT very potent. It can cause anomalies by your year. You can cure that fairly cheaply by switching (pun again!) to a more reliable locally-available-everywhere alternator producing double the amperage.
or possibly cut a hole in the inner wing surface from the cowl direction to allow bolt removal.
As noted, there is already a slotted hole put there by the MMC/
gmg
![[Linked Image]](http://www.gomog.com/allmorgan/AlternatorPlus8Access.jpg)
