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Alternator Conversion , Part III

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OK, I drilled the cast bracket mounted against the block to 7/16" along with the 2" wide bracket on the base of the alternator(was 11mm metric). So now I have a 4.5", grade 8, 7/16 bolt holding the Delco-style alternator on the engine. I can use this as a jacking point if I need to. Question: I have a 8-gauge wire ready to bolt to the alternator that should go to the battery. Dan Masters says to go to the solenoid on the starter (or inline to the inline connection that comes with the TR6) Can I go directly to the + post on the battery for a very secure connection (too much hanging on solenoid like fog lights) and the inline connection seems wimpy. And, should I fuse this 8-gauge wire with a 30amp fuse or fusable link? And carry fuses. Too, where does the alternator ground to (dumb question) and should I run a special ground? Electricity is not my area of expertise. I don't trust anything I can't see.....

Bill
 
Bill,

You can go directly to the battery if you like, as long as you don't have an ammeter (if you do, get back to me for more details).

If you want to use a fuse or fusible link, you'll need to fuse both ends of the wire - either the alternator or the battery will be supplying current, depending on the circumstances. Just make sure you route the wire carefully, away from any potential danger, and you should be OK.

The alternator grounds through the case.
 
I've never understood the "fusible link". How is this different from a fuse and are the links rated for a particular current value?
 
Dan,

I too bought your book, and upgraded my alternator. I have an 8 guage wire run to the solenoid as described above. My ammeter gauge works but only when it discharges. Did I do something wrong or is this normal? And if it is normal is there any way to "upgrade" the ammeter to work thats not a extreme amount of trouble and expense?

Thanks in advance!
 
dklawson and lastdeadlast, not to change the subject, but do both of you know about British Cars Days South at Dan Nicholas Park on Sunday June 5th. It's a park about 6 miles off 85 here in Salisbury. This is the one they did have a Tanglewood for years. Wayne
 
Hi Wayne. Yes, I looked it up recently as a friend of mine is planning on going. I'm a bit lame about going to car shows with the Mini. It isn't geared for the highway and turns 4k RPM at 65 MPH. I just don't enjoy driving the car that fast for that long a period of time. If I had a trailer I'd consider going. I will be going up to the Gold Cup Races at VIR the following weekend... but that's only about half as far away.

I never made it to Tanglewood. It seems to me that in previous years Tanglewood always coincided with the Gold Cup Races. My annual trip to VIR that weekend has been one of the few chances I get to meet up with my LBC owning friends from VA.
 
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...if it is normal is there any way to "upgrade" the ammeter to work thats not a extreme amount of trouble and expense?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm no EE and my cars all have dynamos but... wouldn't a voltmeter be a more useful instrument than an ammeter when you have an alternator? Smiths certainly made them in a 2" gauge.
 
I agree completely about the voltmeter. When we had 22 Amp generators it wasn't such a big deal to have the ammeter and its associated wiring behind the dash. Early Lucas alternators were small (by today's standards) so some continued to use ammeters. However, when you start talking about hooking up a 63+ Amp Delco alternator, that's a lot more power to have passing through the firewall (and back). A voltmeter can provide as much useful information and is much safer.
 
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