MSD Alternator

[Lin]

Has anyone used one of these MSD alternators on their big healey?

They look a little modern, but then so does any alternator on a big healey.

https://www.msdignition.com/pdf/aps.pdf

Lin
1960 BT7 in restoration
1959 Bugeye

 

[Keoke]

Nope, What chu planing to fit Lin, a couple of search lights??---Keoke- /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif

 

[Lin]

Keoke,
Well let's see, there is my refrigerator, my espresso maker, and my son's playstation.

Lin

 

[GregW]

Don’t forget the shaver, hair dryer, reading lamp, stock ticker and 6 subwoofers. One MUST find ways to occupy oneself during the dull commute to work.

 

[Randy Forbes]

I don't think the alternator would be so out of place on my car; I'm hardly a slave to originality (though with some effort, the car could be returned to original by its next owner).

The one modification I haven't yet done, and consider essential, is to fit heated seat elements (no heater in my car). For that, I think the alternator would be a good idea.

 

[vette]

Greg, What commute in a Healey could be dull? I Know you misspoke.

 

[GregW]

Dave, you are absolutely right. Shame on me! I will take four demerits.

 

[GregW]

Hi Lin,
Getting back to your question… That alternator looks very cool. The one thing I wonder, is how much power that thing robs from the engine. Does a 105 amp alternator need more horsepower than a 60 amper? If that’s true, I think the MSD would do more harm than good since you’ll probably never need that much amperage in a Healey. Just a thought not based on any real facts that I am aware of.

 

[Lin]

Greg, I wondered about that too. Don't know.
Lin

 

[Dave Russell]

how much power that thing robs from the engine. Does a 105 amp alternator need more horsepower than a 60 amper?

Either alternator will only consume horsepower proportional to the load that is actually put on it.

At no load, either one will consume very little power. If the 60 amp alternator or the 105 were loaded to 60 amps they would both consume roughly 2.25 horsepower. If the 105 amp alternator were fully loaded, it would consume about 3.9 horsepower. It's doubtful if you could actually load the 105 amp unit to this load, unless you used some very heavy wire between alternator & load.

The 105 is likely to be considerably larger & more expensive. An alternator that is larger than the wiring capacity would cause hot wires with no gain.
D

 

[GregW]

Thanks Dave,
Good to know. I looked at the prices of those things, they run around $400 (including tax). More than I would want to spend (no slight intended, Lin) but they sure are purdy.

 

[Keoke]

Yes I think that is true Dave. However, it might be possible that with a low battery the alternator may try to right the imballance quickly and suppy more current than the original wiring was designed to handle.---Keoke

 

[Lin]

Greg,
No offense taken. I don't know that I will pursue the MSD at all. I was attracted because of the near universal mounting system and because as you say, it is "purdy." But, price and overkill are certainly mitigating factors.

I would still like to go back to my original question, which was, "has anyone used one of these?" I guess from the responses so far, the answer is "no."

Dave,
Thanks for the thoughts on HP usage.

Lin
1960 BT7 in restoration
1959 Bugeye

 

[AJAX50]

I read recently of an alternator that looked like a traditional dynamo being avaiable.I think it was SC spares in the UK. I have to say though that if the battery and other electrical parts are OK and the car is in a good state of tune then the traditional dynamo is well up to the task.