let there be light........

Chris in WNC

Chris in WNC

Well-known member
never had a Model A with an alternator until we bought the Town Sedan 3 yrs ago. I liked how bright the lights were on it, so I bought a new alternator for the Coupe when we were at the MARC meet in French Lick. there it sits on the shelf for 2.5 years.

last time I drove the Coupe it had a new noise. I looked under the hood and the generator armature is moving fore & aft about 1/4". so today I installed the alternator and shazam! the Coupe already had brighter lights than any of our previous As with generators, but the 6volt lights are now as bright as our modern car.:D no halogen bulbs needed......
 
I use an alternator on my coupe and love it. Since it gets driven at night a good deal and my eyes aren't as young as they were.......... I needed it ! Glad you are enjoying it.
 
I have good lights on my coupe with the original generator.You need good reflectors,lenses not yellowed,32-32 bulbs & good grounds etc.I dont drive over 50 at night anyways.
 
Bill can't believe you like alternators. Chris you are right. A alternator makes all the difference with lights. I got bright lights with mine but haven't quite got them adjusted to center yet. Do you go up and down black mtn much in your A? I live about a hour away in Burke County. Just got done with my Tudor frame off resto and I can't wait to break her in on the parkway this spring.

Just kidding Bill........
 
Alternators look as out of place as mag wheels. I have good lights with my stock headlamps and generator with my electronic voltage regulator. If I need more amps I'd install a fan cooled later generator.
 
Alternators are great, but I will never put one on my A. I have more thoughts on "improving" the Model A, but I will spare you my narrow minded opinions. :)
 
Bill it seems to me sometimes this place is more like a middle school playground. Sometimes its good to unplug and take a cruise to the local cafe for a coffee my friend. I agree with tom on the looks. If i didnt care what was under the hood i would put a 350 there...
 
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Alternators are fine for me. Usualy, i like original conditions. No hydraulic brake or 12V conversion for example. But an alternator and a Optima Dry Cell Battery are okay. No problems and never charging for a long, long time.
Greetings Barney
 
Well here is a question from a new "A" owner. My car has a 6v positive ground system with an alt. I haven't tried a generator. It has a fully charged optima battery and new 30a gauge. Here's the question. I think there might be some kind of problem because sometimes the gauge shows neg and sometimes positive while driving,about 10 either way, even though when I get home I put the batt on charge and it's charged. Also, the lights are dim at idle, but bright at speed, and dim at a stop to full bright takes 2/3 seconds when speeding up. One more thing, the horn was just cleaned up and greased and works fine while driving but sometimes at idle won't work and sometimes it does. I'm confused. I haven't really read up on it yet but saw this post and had to ask if all of this is normal. Wondering if there's a regulator problem.

thanks,

Steve
 
Steve if the alt is OK put a smaller pulley on it. 10SI alternators are not very efficient at idle. Most 10SI's VR's do not go intermittent. The air gap between the rotor and stator can be critical. As to why at speed you are charging and then not, may have more to do with a brush, rotor or connection problem (internal?)
Mike
 
Mike V. Florida said:
Is it truly that the alternator is better or your generator was poor?
Click to expand...
my generator was good until it started making noises.
according to the ammeter it was putting out the appropriate amount of charge.
the original headlight reflectors made these the best and brightest lights I'd ever had on a generator-equipped car, but the switch to alternator made a visible difference in the amount and quality of light.
our Town Sedan has what I believe are reproduction reflectors, but the alternator gives them enough juice to overcome that handicap.
I have no quarrel with anyone who sticks with their generator, but I like how this has worked out for me.
and to those who cannot abide how the alternator looks, you can always spring for that $800 alternator that looks like an original generator :-)
 
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