Help please. Electrical

[Tbird1044]

14.2 seems pretty normal to me for an alternator. Just keep an eye on the battery and make sure your not boiling the water out, but it should be fine.
Nyles

[simplyconnected]

14.4v Seems a little excessive lol but I'll take it...

I'm with Nyles. I would expect up to 14.5 VDC for the charging circuit.

Oh wait, you're comparing to a generator. There's no comparison. And BTW, you're all set for powering an electric fan and any other options you like. - Dave

[Bird-in-the-bush]

Sidenotes

I get a little squeal at start up. But nothing that lasts. At least for now, haven't run through the night with lights and fans on. I think I'll go with a larger single sheave pulley when I get the time.
As for the tune of 14.3v, I'm loving it. I'm definitely used to that in my newer vehicles, along with the amenities. But for a 1960 Thunderbird...its a blessing.
Thanks for all the help Dave, I'm very grateful to you. Now for a reliable fan...any suggestions?

[simplyconnected]

Excellent job, Audie. I'm proud of you. Thanks for supporting our site and thanks for keeping your word.

You gotta know that I'm CHEAPPPPP! I don't throw parts at a problem and I believe in using bone yard OEM parts from modern cars. Above all, 'necessity is the mother of invention', so I fabricate as well.

Years ago, I suggested that YellowRose (Ray Clark) visit his local pick-and-pull to pick up a SET of cooling fan and alternator for his Squarebird. I think he got them from a Crown Vic, but he realized this job was too much for his abilities. So, he sold them to me for what he paid and sent them up to Michigan from Texas. I've been using both in our '59 Galaxie Y-Block ever since. Now, our family participates in The Woodward Dream Cruise, where 1.5M people attend every Aug. You can imagine, traffic is snail-slow for miles. I've had a pizza delivered, while we were in the street, in front of the place.

With an OEM electric fan and a 130-amp alt, no problem. While all the other classics MUST PARK, I'm out there without a hint of overheating.

For electrical hookup, you need a radiator thermostat, a 30-amp 12-volt relay and #10AWG wire. When the radiator gets hot, the fan turns on. It's that simple. When moving at 40-mph, the fan rarely ever turns on.

Realize that a mechanical fan robs HP at all times, even in winter months. Electric fans only operate when needed. You may feel more HP right away and your mileage will increase without any engine modifications. - Dave

[simplyconnected]

...If the wire was fried from the Generator; the small wire is your field, the large wire is your armature. Both have windings inside your generator.

Evidently, one of these shorted to ground... - Dave

Audie took his generator apart. This is what he found:

Originally Posted by Bird-in-the-bush
Oh man, I forgot to tell you. When I pulled me generator off and inspected it...the armature bars inside, fell apart and ripped the brushes away, some were completely missing, some were laying inside the case and fell out when I took it off and turned it lol...ohhhh now I know why all that wire fried like chicken...haha..just thought you would like to know about that.
Drove the car tonight to work. Ran great as for charging. Ever since I installed the Pertronix 2 distributor, I'm getting a hesitation off idle to part throttle. I just removed the stock dist with pertronix 1 in it, so I may need to spend a day checking air gaps and what not.

I'm relaying this as a reminder to all, that brushes need to be checked before catastrophic failure. Alternators use brushes too but they usually last longer because the main current does not go through them and they ride on smooth slip rings, not commutator segments.

Brushes are reasonably priced at about eight bucks, even for our starter motors.

Audie, Pertronix doesn't make this information popular but... make sure the top of your reluctor (that black unit that slips over your points cam) is 'dead even' with the Pertronix pickup. They hit hard on the reluctor-to-pickup air gap being .030" but say nothing about height. - Dave

[Bird-in-the-bush]

New thread

I wrote up a new thread and included my pictures. "Generator to Alternator stock Gen bracket"
It's my first write up slash tutorial...go easy on me lol. Thanks, Audie.