Electrical: alternator alternatives

[studeillac1952]

hey this is going out to all that have done a 6 volt to 12 volt conversion. What alternator did you end up swaping to? 1 wire or 3 wire? is the speedway cheap-o alt. good enough?
also does anybody have any pictures of their alt. and mounting bracket? I hear the worst part of installing an alternator is making the bracket.
Thanks
Brad

[Mike Van Veghten]

is the speedway cheap-o alt. good enough?

Somewhat obviously depends...!

What are your needs ?
Electric fan, fuel pump, aftermarket ignition, high power radio, etc., etc.

If you are only running a stock engine, with none of the above, then yea, a 60/80 amp alternator should be fine. But if you have any of the goodies above, then no, you'll need more power.
I just ordered a 105 amp ( http://www.summitracing.com/search/?...20478601&dds=1 ) for my 54 wagon.
Why......aftermarket ignition, (trying an...) electric fan, electric fuel pump, high powered head lights, and a coupla other "extra" circuts just in case.

And yes, I've never had a problem with a one wire alt., (many over the years..!). Once it's energized, it does not shut down with low rpm, as some have said. You just need to energize its system by bringing the rpm up to its start point...which is normally 1500 to 1800 rpm, then it's fine.

Summit's got PAGES........of them to choose from...both single and three wire styles. In the GM, Ford and Chrysler (and other) designs to choose from.

Hope that helps some.

Mike

[53commander]

http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/showthread.php?63670-62-hawk-alternator-conversion&p=666758&highlight=alternator#post666758

Has pics and some other links

[bezhawk]

There are specialty 6 volt alternators out there that do a very good job of charging (much more so than a generator). There are also ones disguised to look like generators so you can pass judging.

If you haven't already gone to the expense of converting to 12 volts it 's something to consider. Also, you can get the starter rebuilt with 4 field coils and it will have much more torque. Pontiacs of the same era used Delco starters with the proper field coils.

[JohnM15]

I would strongly encourage you to convert to 12 volt but if you are sure you are not going to have some of the niceties in life (nice stereo...) then staying 6 volt is not all that bad. I stayed 6 volt but chucked the generator for and alternator so I would have output at idle. I tried a cheapo 6 volt alternator off ebay. It worked but it had startup issues. Many alternator's regulator needs high RPMs at startup to kick in. Flipping the throttle would kick it in but would also kick off fast idle on the carb. So I would have to keep my foot on the throttle till it warmed enough to idle by itself... I then went with PowerGen's alternator and it solved all my problems... At a cost... I used a small 6 to 12 volt converter to power the stereo and an accessory outlet for the smart phone.

[studeillac1952]

Thanks Mike, 53 Comm, and Mr. Hawk...
Well the first problem with a 12 volt conversion, is that I have no choice. The previous owner managed to cut everything off about a foot from where they went/connected . So I am going to have to pull everything that is now shortened by a foot.

Also not going to be running anything fancy. Probably only thing will be the fuel pump and thats about it. But I probably order the 105 amp, because bright headlights are pretty awesome. (Also a cooling fan and aftermarket ignition sound fun too.)

I looked into the disguised gen./alt. but this '52 aint gonna be in any shows anytime soon!! So i'm not gonna worry about that.
Thanks for the information fellas, i really appreciate the help...
Brad

[studeillac1952]

http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...tor#post666758

Has pics and some other links

Thanks for the pictures and links, very much help!!!
Brad