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?
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?
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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