Powermaster alternator

mhsprecher

mhsprecher

Well-known member
I read the article in the latest Model A Times about the Powermaster 6 v alternator and was intrigued. I have been sticking with the generator I have on my town sedan, even though I have halogen headlight bulbs. I don't drive enough at night for it to make a difference. I am driving the car to Niagara Falls for the MARC meet and I thought I should probably change to an alternator.

I hate the way the modern alternators look. I believe that one can get an alternator built in an old generator housing, but I thought I would go the Powermaster route, in spite of the extra cost.

My original order was on eBay. I searched Powermaster Model A alternator and got a hit on eBay. Alright, so I ordered it. Well, a 12 v alternator arrived. I went back to eBay and at the very bottom of the page it said 12v. Okay, shame on me. I ordered the 6v variant over the phone from Jegs, so this weekend I installed it. Works great so far, but I have only driven a few miles with it.

Here is what it looks like.
 
I might be just me, but I can't see spending that kind of money to replace something that works.

Remember the proverb "For the want of a nail..."?
 
Good point. I hung with the generator for a couple of years. With a long trip ahead of me, I didn't want to get stuck having to drive at night with the genny, having not done it before. With only a couple of years of Model A ownership under my belt, i don't have a ton of personal experience.

Talking to one of our club mechanical gurus, he said changing to an alternator on his car was one of the best decisions he has made. Of course, as with anything Model A, there are a lot of differing, but strongly held, opinions on topics such as this.
 
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I have peace of mind, but I plan to take the old genny with me as backup people have posted that if an alternator fails, you are stuck, whereas with a generator you can replace the brushes. Of course, more catastrophic genny failure is something else again.

I am interested to hear what others have to say. This forum is all about sharing knowledge and opinion!
 
I too have a Powermaster, arriving tomorrow. I have been fighting burnt out bulbs, boiling water out of my battery, and dyeing at night, after 20 minutes with the headlights on. I had to closely follow a friend, without lights, to get home in the dark. A club member has adjusted the third brush four times, and we cannot get it right. Fully charged battery, and Ampmeter shows about 3 to 4 amps.
 
I installed the 12V version in my pickup. Works well and looks a lot better than the GM alternator that came with my pickup.
 
I posted this in another thread: I didn't see any mention of the Russ Evans alternator that's made in an Model A generator housing. It's the same price as the Summit Racing unit, 45 amps output and it will pass fine point judging. It is impossible to tell that it's not an original generator. It's made in 6 or 12 volts. You specify the month/year of your Model A and it will come with the correct pulley, rear bearing plate and cutoff. Russ's phone number is (805) 583-4221. Address is: 5968 Serena St, Simi Valley, CA 93063. Russ will stand behind his product 100%. I don't have any affiliation with Russ, just a very satisfied customer!!!!
 
AL in NY said:
I posted this in another thread: I didn't see any mention of the Russ Evans alternator that's made in an Model A generator housing. It's the same price as the Summit Racing unit, 45 amps output and it will pass fine point judging. It is impossible to tell that it's not an original generator. It's made in 6 or 12 volts. You specify the month/year of your Model A and it will come with the correct pulley, rear bearing plate and cutoff. Russ's phone number is (805) 583-4221. Address is: 5968 Serena St, Simi Valley, CA 93063. Russ will stand behind his product 100%. I don't have any affiliation with Russ, just a very satisfied customer!!!!
Click to expand...

I have installed several of Russ' units and they are nice. The only issue I have with them is Russ' cannot keep up with demand, --and is often several months away from being able to ship. If someone has the ability to plan ahead in ordering one, you can't go wrong, ...especially if you want one of his Powerhouse alternators.
 
Anyone tried/used one of the "Fun Projects" voltage regulators on the generator of their Model A?
 
AL in NY said:
I posted this in another thread: I didn't see any mention of the Russ Evans alternator that's made in an Model A generator housing. It's the same price as the Summit Racing unit, 45 amps output and it will pass fine point judging. It is impossible to tell that it's not an original generator. It's made in 6 or 12 volts. You specify the month/year of your Model A and it will come with the correct pulley, rear bearing plate and cutoff. Russ's phone number is (805) 583-4221. Address is: 5968 Serena St, Simi Valley, CA 93063. Russ will stand behind his product 100%. I don't have any affiliation with Russ, just a very satisfied customer!!!!
Click to expand...

That's interesting, about the availability of a 12v version ! I spoke with him at a swap meet not long ago. He lives nearby. He said that he did NOT have a 12v version available yet. Guess things have changed,eh ? Quite pricey , IMO, also just for the 'looks'. It is hard to understand how such a change could/would pass 'high point' judging...maybe because of safety concerns ?
 
Received my Powermaster today. Putting it in this afternoon.
 

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hardtimes said:
That's interesting, about the availability of a 12v version ! I spoke with him at a swap meet not long ago. He lives nearby. He said that he did NOT have a 12v version available yet. Guess things have changed,eh ? Quite pricey , IMO, also just for the 'looks'. It is hard to understand how such a change could/would pass 'high point' judging...maybe because of safety concerns ?
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I dunno. I have ordered at least one from him in 12 volts. The car in the picture below has his alternator on it. (I do apologize for the rusty/dirty engine however these pictures were taken while the car was on the Blueridge Parkway tour a few years ago and they had ran thru rain.) It works great at keeping the battery fully charged with halogen bulbs and other accessories.

As for him not offering 12 volts, I am not sure why this would be an issue since the alternator he is using started life as a 12 volt unit. Maybe what he meant to say is that he did not have a 12v unit assembled at that time??

As far as price, ...everything is relative I suppose. The engine in the vehicle pictured below has an aftermarket balanced crankshaft on inserts, a hi-compression head, Stipe cam, big valves, enlarged intake manifold, etc. With the 3.27 rear gear ratio, this combination has no problem at all strolling down the highway and up the hills, ...yet with all of these modifications it still looks 110% original to the masses. Even the 'educated folks' can spot the Powermaster generator over an original unit, ...however having an alternator stuffed inside of the original generator case is about as stealth as you can get.

.
 

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I attached the ground wire to the engine block, just to be sure.

My purchase was based on my upcoming drive to Niagara Falls and the article in Model a Times. Had I not been going north, I probably would not have made the change.

Although my car is not judged, I really don't like the way a modern alternator looks on a Model A engine. Ideally, I would have gone to Russ, but given my timeline, the Powermaster was a good alternatorive. ;-)
 
Brian, note I connected the wiring to the back of the "cut out." When I attached the wires to the front connection, it blew the fuse. I checked the MA Times article and the connections are to the nut on the rear of the "cutout".
 
I checked the fake cut-out, and the connection is straight through on this one. Seams to be working great. The headlights are bright, and the horn never sounded better.

I'll research that further, and I do appreciate the heads up. I'm learning every day. I just need to remember what I've learned.
 
I see the Model A Times photo, and I double checked the fake cut-out again. It is a straight through, solid steel bar.

I wired mine as the old one was, and I think my wiring looks better than MAT.

I really appreciated the heads up. You can NEVER be to careful with electrical.

Thank you.
 

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