Alternator vs. Generator

joltesvig

joltesvig

Senior Member
My 31 Coupe I got last spring came with an alternator on it. Now I don't know much since I'm as I'm a Model A rookie but why would it have an alternator rather than a generator? Don't the original generators work very good? If I don't show for points is it ok to just leave it that way? Is there a disadvantage to having an alternator? How much did it cost someone to do that? If I bought it to just have fun driving should I just leave it that way?
 
get to pop corn out and get ready for the show. People feel very opinionated over this subject in particular for some reason. I personally have an alternator on my car because in my opinion, they are more reliable. I have a 12v system with an AC so i didn't have a choice, but even when my car was 6v it still had an alternator on it. Unless you know what you're doing with a generator, you are either going to over charge the battery, or it's not going to charge enough. So you have to be experienced with them. Since you're not showing your car, just leave it the way it is and use your money for other items. Some people say you have to have more belt tension to run an alternator and it'll wear out your water pump, but i've never had a problem and I drive 10,000 miles a year. I believe alternators cost about $150, but not for sure. IMHO just leave you're car the way it is and spend your money on other items for your car.
 
You will no doubt get as many alternator fans as generator fans that give you a response. When I got my first Model A about 7 years ago, it had a stock 6V positive ground system with the original generator. Being totally new to Model A's, I got nervous about possibly having a dead 6V battery and not being able to jump start it, so I converted it to 12V negative ground with an alternator and electronic ignition. The car runs great and has been 100% reliable, so I don't regret doing the conversion. But.....

My next Model A came with a 6V positive ground system, but with a 6V alternator already in place. Other than the alternator, this one has a stock ignition system with points, and I've left it alone. This one also runs great and I see no need to change anything.

If I can ever afford to finish off my modest little collection with a CC Pick-up, I plan to leave it totally stock with a generator, mainly because I think it would be neat to have one just the way it was built.

As you can see, I'm all over the map on this question.

To answer your question, since you are apparently not planning to show the car, I would just leave it alone. Some may tell you that the alternator will give you more juice so you can run halogen lamps in the headlights, or that the alternator will be more reliable in keeping the battery charged. Another reason I hear for alternators is if the car has had an air conditioner installed or is running radios and such. I don't really know if any of those are really good reasons or not, but I'm happy with mine they way they are.

I know of no disadvantage to having an alternator other than the fact that it isn't original and would not work for showing in anything other than touring class.

I'd say that the main thing is to enjoy your car. Drive it every day. I sure do.
 
I have a 6 volt alt. on my 31 coupe, When I got the car it had a gen. on it, I had nothing but problems with it and the cutout's on it, got tired of lifting the hood and taping on the cutout with a screwdriver to get it to charge agin. [long story].
I put a 6 volt alt. on it about 2 years ago and not one problem.
It could be that my gen. had been rebuilt to many times over the years or that the three cutouts I put on it were not worth a dam [after market].
If I were you I would stick with the alt..... If it ain't broke don't fix it.;)
 
I'm a rookie. And I'm happy with my old-school 6V generator. Zero problems.

I'm keeping it for historical reasons.
1. It looks correct. (I'm still shocked at seeing alternators on old cars.)
2. I believe an old car with all the correct parts is worth more.
3. As the decades wear on, modern stuff looks more and more out of place. Even non-owners notice alternators.
 
newshirt said:
I'm a rookie. And I'm happy with my old-school 6V generator. Zero problems.

I'm keeping it for historical reasons.
1. It looks correct. (I'm still shocked at seeing alternators on old cars.)
2. I believe an old car with all the correct parts is worth more.
3. As the decades wear on, modern stuff looks more and more out of place. Even non-owners notice alternators.
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Nice looking white wall tire's you got their newshirt.
Nothing like keeping the ole "A" org. :eek:
 
OK, I'll throw some popcorn from the cheap seats in the balcony....
LOL.gif


Generally I find people who cannot work on, --or don't understand the workings of a Generator use/install an Alternator to take the place of the non-working Generator. Naturally it is a person's car to do with however they please but alternators go on modern vehicles (--or street rods) and generators belong on restored cars or traditional hot rods. ;)

.
 
henry ford would have had an altenater on the A if they were available, he aways wanted the best things available , if you plan on driving it and enjoying it use an altenator, why use 85 yr old technoligy when much more reliable things available, why do you think all car manufactors went to an altenator? and 3 wire altenators are available for $60 and can be found in any parts store, no matter how far out in the country you are
 
Either works great. If you change just because it is old technology, they why even have an A, as it is old technology.

There is also bragging rights when you can say your car has only the parts that that were available back then.

Again, as for suppling voltage, either will work and it is a personal choice.
 
ford1 said:
henry ford would have had an altenater on the A if they were available, he aways wanted the best things available , if you plan on driving it and enjoying it use an altenator, why use 85 yr old technoligy when much more reliable things available, why do you think all car manufactors went to an altenator? and 3 wire altenators are available for $60 and can be found in any parts store, no matter how far out in the country you are
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I would think the reason why all the auto manufacturers went to using an alternator is because of the power needs for the particular vehicle they were manufacturing. I have yet to see the need to switch to 12 volt in an original Model A but I guess it is just a mindset. Same applies to converting to an Alternator.

Something else just as a thought. If someone truly "restores" their Model A to start with, why do they need to worry about finding an auto parts out in the country? Do it right the first time with quality parts and then know how to work on what you have, and you can always get yourself home. Therein lies the problem however in that most folks seemingly do NOT know how to work on something with their hands, ...so they do what is easiest and that is replace a part with something else. I am not being critical towards folks but in reality just issuing a challenge for people to learn how to work on something with their hands and at the same time try to preserve history.
 
ford1 said:
henry ford would have had an altenater on the A if they were available, he aways wanted the best things available , if you plan on driving it and enjoying it use an altenator, why use 85 yr old technoligy when much more reliable things available, why do you think all car manufactors went to an altenator? and 3 wire altenators are available for $60 and can be found in any parts store, no matter how far out in the country you are
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My car is a driver and I have a generator and don't ever have any problems. Most people will say a properly working generator will do just fine.:p
 
Louis said:
I have a 6 volt alt. on my 31 coupe, When I got the car it had a gen. on it, I had nothing but problems with it and the cutout's on it, got tired of lifting the hood and taping on the cutout with a screwdriver to get it to charge agin. [long story].
I put a 6 volt alt. on it about 2 years ago and not one problem.
It could be that my gen. had been rebuilt to many times over the years or that the three cutouts I put on it were not worth a dam [after market].
If I were you I would stick with the alt..... If it ain't broke don't fix it.;)
Click to expand...

You could easily argue that rebuilding the generator to proper specs would also work just as well. Just my 2 cents. To each their own, but I just couldn't bring myself to use an alternator ;)
 
Franchise_24 said:
Whitewalls were available back then weren't they?:cool:
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In the 1930's, whitewall tires were avilable as an after market accessory, How ever, as per Henry Fords directive, "All model A's", even the sport model's rolled off the assyembly line with blackwall tire's.

I still have my Gen. I've cleaned it and painted it and one day if I decide to , I'll put it back on. But I don't think so. ;)
 
Either one will run the A fine. I will try to highlight the issues between the two.

A properly rebuilt generator can outlast a generation or two of family owning a car. There are some issues with setting the 3rd brush for proper charge for some. You can get a regulator that will eliminate the issue. A diode cutout conversion is not a bad thing as the cutout can stick and burn up the generator.

Alternators came out because they are cheaper and can put out more current. More current comes at a cost. You need to spin it at the correct speed. The V belt needed to be very very tight with a lot of contact area to handle the load of high current output. If you remember the days when the belt was slightly loose and it would squeal just after starting during a high current draw.
Alternators were a mechanics friend. They failed more often and generated more profit then the generator the kept running. The delcos were the less reliable units.
Some one wire regulator units will have a constant slow drain on your battery. After a long sit the battery will need to be recharged.

The alt pulley as used on the A is a smaller diameter. This means a smaller contact area so you loose some current capacity from a loose of HP transfer to the alt. Then you really can not fully tighten the belt like you would on a car designed for an alt. This can affect the life of the water pump. Most of the A's I have run across are just loose to very loose so you will not get any real amp output from the alt. The smaller diameter pulley with the thick belt may also cause pre-mature belt failure. I noticed the guys that went to Alaska replace their belts a few times.

The gen is able to put out around 20 amps. This is plenty to most of what you will ever use on the A. The only absolute need for an alt is when you install the A/C and then you are doing a major pulley change anyway.
There seems to be a pile of misinformation leading many to believe the alt is a must have 'upgrade'. It is 100% hype by people selling you a profitable item.

I would not recommend that you change out the alt for the sake of change. I would be concerned with all your electrical connections. The alt is sometimes installed to compensate for poor and dirty electrical connections. You want to do a full inspection and cleaning just to be on the safe side as a poor connection always is found at the worst time.

It is important to understand that a Model A, from the factory, was able to run 60 MPH and was expected to get in the low twenties for fuel mileage. The Model A was a very reliable dependable car from the factory. The three major issues of the day were poor tires, poor batteries, and poor condensers. All three are very reliable today.
 
why use 85 yr old technoligy when much more reliable things available said:
Alternator or generator is for each his own for what ever reason. BUT the above quote??? why even have a Model A when much more reliable things available. Just a thought.
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If the alternator doesn't bug you, keep it.

I apologize for sounding like a hardcore purist in my previous post. I'm not. As pointed out, my car has whitewall tires and painted wheels. Yes, they do bug me, and I will replace them, but I can't afford to right now.

It just seems that lack of authenticity bugs some people. But if it doesn't bug you, then keep the alternator. If it does bug you, it can be replaced for less than $150. There are a lot of small things like that you can do to improve the authenticity of your car. And it might make you feel better about the car. But that all depends on your personal feelings on the issue.

The Touring class judging standards are a great place to start.
 
I use alternators. I could have gotten a voltage regulator that replaces the cut out and used the generator with a hidden modern EVR inside of a cutout shell. But, I can buy a rebuilt alternator for $56. The voltage regulator costs more.

You can always use the generator with the original cut out. But you will have to adjust the 3rd brush for day/night driving.
 
newshirt,
You have a very nice looking "A", I would not change anything, including the whitewall tires.

IMHO, Their is no such thing as a org. "A" model left, All we can do is get as close as we can.

I've never seen an "A" model I diden't like, I don't care if it has a gen. or a alt.
If it look's like an "A" model , sounds like an "A" model, and drives like an "A" model...it's probley an "A" model. I like um all. ;)
 
What are you running right now, 6v or 12v ? Just curious.. If you don't mind the looks of that alternator hanging there and if its working correctly, why not keep it.. Personally, I think I'll always use a generator..
 
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