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An Alternate Alternator?

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kodanja

kodanja

Obi Wan
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Ok it's time to upgrade my Alternator on my 71' TR6 from the original Lucus.

any suggestions?

Thanx!

aaa3.jpg
 
Have been told a 55A Bosch/Ford Fiesta unit will work, but have not tried it myself. Perhaps someone else has experience with this substitution.

Rob.
 
I helped a friend do the Bosch thing; it did indeed go on with the absolute minimum of modification and worked quite well afterwards. Totally solved his issue with not having enough juice to run his high-power stereo at idle.

But, IMO, the advantage of the Bosch conversion is also it's biggest disadvantage. The Bosch still uses that spade-type disconnect that the Lucas uses, which IMO is inadequate for long-term reliability. I would much prefer a bolted connection for such high current and high temperatures.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]But, IMO, the advantage of the Bosch conversion is also it's biggest disadvantage. The Bosch still uses that spade-type disconnect that the Lucas uses, which IMO is inadequate for long-term reliability. I would much prefer a bolted connection for such high current and high temperatures. [/QUOTE]

Very good point Randall.

Does anyone have the complete Delco conversion information? We should have that in the WiKi for future reference.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:] I will probably in the near
future run a new larger wire from the Delco output to the battery because now with a monster 63
amps of current there is the possibility of overloading the smaller wires charging a weak battery.[/QUOTE]

The last sentence of the article is the most important, if you are going above 55amps, per the Brad and the guys at Yankee Auto Electric, here in RI.
 
I've converted several cars and trucks to one wire Delcos...make it fit and simply run the hot wire from the alternator to the battery...you're done! Disconnect the original regulator and toss it/save it. Tape up any wires that may be live.

The other wire that's on the plug is for the idiot light...simply tape it off or cut it off.
 
I went with the Autozone Delco-style 7127 alternator. New unit, not rebuilt. Even brought it to an alternator shop to have it taken down and tested. Tested out at 66 amps. This is a 3-wire alternator, not a 1-wire. I was advised against using a 1-wire, not sure why. I used a 8 gauge wire from the alternator to the battery. The alternator shop popped a little better bearing in it for me, just as a precaution. They said everything else was as good as it gets.
 
I went with the later model Delco. I did have to do some modification to the front frame of the alternator and the bracket on the engine (drilled for a larger bolt). There are very good instructions on the VTR website. I think this is an easier change if you have the pre air pump alternator bracket.
 

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YankeeTR said:
I've converted several cars and trucks to one wire Delcos...make it fit and simply run the hot wire from the alternator to the battery...you're done! Disconnect the original regulator and toss it/save it. Tape up any wires that may be live.

The other wire that's on the plug is for the idiot light...simply tape it off or cut it off.
Click to expand...

I agree, and that is what I have in mind but want to take my car over and talk things over first. The beauty of it is the original harness is not compromised.
 
Tom,

Read Dan Masters recommendations about not going one wire in the link above.
 
Dan left out one important (to me) disadvantage to the "one wire" route. It also eliminates the 'sense' wire, meaning that the alternator/regulator 'sees' a higher voltage than the battery does when the alternator is charging. This amounts to throwing away part of the alternator's capacity, because the regulator will reduce output when it sees the higher voltage.

After going to all that work to improve charging, why settle for second best ?
 
There are probably tens of thousands of one-wire conversions happily roaming the highways of North America without any problems. Not that the other deal won't work...I just don't see any advantage to doing the extra work when you just grab a spool of wire and hook up one wire without doing any soldering or fiddling with the wiring. Some guys are going to screw up because it's beyond their experienece level...wiring really is scary to many folks.

But what do I know? I'd probably retrofit a Lucas generator to a TR6 because alternators are too new-fangled for me!
 
davidk said:
I went with the later model Delco. I did have to do some modification to the front frame of the alternator and the bracket on the engine (drilled for a larger bolt). There are very good instructions on the VTR website. I think this is an easier change if you have the pre air pump alternator bracket.
Click to expand...

A couple of things you might consider is have your (or do it yourself) alternator "clocked" to rotate the electrical connections out of that cluttered area near the plugs and engine block out to the outer side near the fender well. This allow easy access to the plug-in connector. Also, go to any GM dealer and you can find (usually on the shop floor) an old rubber alternator boot to cover that hot wire. The older Delco setups came with this protective boot to keep this very hot wire covered and protected from inadvertent grounding out. A safety thing. I literally found one on the shop floor at our Chevy dealer.
 
Also, that bracket everyone seems to use to hold the Delco alternator is available at virtually every auto parts store and comes in a chromed universal fit for "hot rods". It requires some grinding by you and most people end up grinding all the chrome off it and painting it. It can be seen in David's photo above.
 
Myself, I don't much care for the Delco conversion. And I'm running one currently quite successfully.

The units are big, and don't look right imo. Visually I much prefer the little Bosch or Nippondenso alternators. Their appearance is much more suited to the application.

Functionally a good Delco is a fine alternator. BUT...finding a good Delco in the sea of cheapo poorly rebuilt units is a bit expensive. Yes, you can buy a rebuilt Delco for under $30, but boy do you get what you pay for!

I'd have no fear of running a one-wire alternator on a street car. They don't work well on tractor conversions. But that's because they take a fair amount of rpms to kick in and start charging. Not a problem on a car engine, but somewhat of a problem on low reving tractor engines. On a Triumph with all the wiring in place for a 3-wire alternator, I wouldn't bother with the slight expense of a 1-wire alternator.
 
Didn't the TR6 come at one point with the Delco alternator from the factory??
 
Paul,

I have several step by step "how tos" with full
photographic explanations.

I cannot post any of them in WIKI because WIKI does
permit pdf files to be imported.

My "How to" refurbish the rear suspension is a popular
essay on the internet but the members here cannot take advantage of it without looking in a search engine.

Maybe some of the forum mecahnical gurus could author some
"How To" essays for us TR owners that know very little about things mechanical?

But not having pdf available is show stopper, IMHO.

d
 
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