54chevy
54chevy New Reader
4/8/11 10:17 a.m.

Right now I have a generator in my truck. I was getting ready to rewire several things and wondered if it's worth my time/money to switch to an alternator?

AngryCorvair
AngryCorvair GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
4/8/11 3:30 p.m.

is it a 12v system? iirc chevy passenger cars didn't go 12v until 1955. idk of any 6v alternators.

anyway, alternators put out way more juice at low speed, so i think they're worth the effort if you like having bright headlights, stereo, etc.

54chevy
54chevy New Reader
4/8/11 8:31 p.m.

It was a 6 v that was converted to 12 v. I dont know how easy it is to find generators or how exspensive they might be

Curmudgeon
Curmudgeon SuperDork
4/8/11 8:34 p.m.

Yeah, I'd jump all over putting an alternator on it. Like angry says, the additional light at low RPM is worth it. Of course, that's assuming it's not a Lucas alternator. You'll find that fabricating brackets or grabbing them in a boneyard and hanging the alternator is probably as cheap or cheaper than reworking or replacing the original gennie.

Trans_Maro
Trans_Maro Dork
4/9/11 1:20 a.m.

Three of my cars have a generator.

No trouble signs from any of them yet!

Shawn

novaderrik
novaderrik HalfDork
4/9/11 1:23 a.m.

throw a GM 10 or 12 SI alternator on it and enjoy.. all you need for the conversion is a $10 plug from NAPA and maybe a little fabrication on the lower mount.

if you want to go even better, step up to a Delco CS series alternator. they are smaller, lighter, and put out more amps.

Kramer
Kramer HalfDork
4/9/11 7:49 a.m.

Go to a 12 volt battery while you're at it. Then change bulbs and add a resistor for the distributor. Change to a 12 volt radio.

It's an easy job if you know what to do. Used to be very common. We're too young to remember, though. Find an old-timer who's done it before and ask his advice.

SVreX
SVreX SuperDork
4/9/11 8:44 a.m.

Some of us are not too young to remember!

purplepeopleeater
purplepeopleeater Reader
4/9/11 8:47 a.m.

I'm old enough to have had generators in several cars. If you're not running a mega stereo & a lot of driving lights, I don't think the changeover is worth the effort.

54chevy
54chevy New Reader
4/9/11 12:00 p.m.

There isn't a radio in it right now. Looks like the last owner put one in but when I hooked up a new fuse to it, it stayed on all the time so I took it out. I just bought a new 12 v battery a couple weeks ago bc I had a dead cell in the old one. There's a fairly new box by the fuses on the firewall. I was told it was for the upgrade to 12v. My parking lights don't work on front and I have a brake light out. Yes I've changed bulbs, I have parking lights in the rear so I have to chase wires

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