Thanks so much, darrin, super helpful. Guess I should run a search myself next time!

Same question for the SF Bay area. Anyone ?

no worries, our site doesn't have the best search engine and I was curious on what I'd find -- SURPRISED to find what I found :)

PMAX -- try this thread http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/734697-need-alternator-shop-sf-bay-area.html

BTW, I've used google to find these (using the search "porsche alternator [cityname]") -- pelican posts came up in first page of results

Do those places even exist anymore? Seems like a 1950s thing. Are they called alternator shops? How the heck does an alternator shop stay in business?? I have never seen one ever in my state. Have never heard of anyone using this.

sugarwood, where you live? happy to run another search for you -- there are quite a few of these still around -- my local porsche repair shop has also started doing these rebuilds/repairs themselves. Suspect demand stems from folks with classic cars (like us) and/or DIY folks that are/remain dissatisfied with the third-world rebuilds sold at FLAPS.

I continue to be pleasantly surprised at the number/nature of small business that continue to exist just off our collective radar.

Look around... they are there. Sometimes it's part of a larger business. You know there are other things besides cars that use alternators, right? There is a shop right down the road from me that rebuilds alternators, starters, does small engine repair, etc.

Every city has one or two. I'll explain our shop here in Richmond and you guys can compare it to yours and see if they are long lost brothers:

Very dirty run down shop with 1 or 2 bay doors and a small "waiting" area. Guy that runs the shop is part genius, part crazy possibly homeless middle aged guy. Not exactly an inviting personality but not directly rude either. Wearing the same pair of coveralls for the last 6 years with only a few wash cycles ever thrown at them. His hair is unkempt and greasy and his fingernails uncomfortably long and quite filthy. He is standing in the only part of the shop floor that isn't covered by the huge pile of old starters and alternators. There are literally thousands of them all over the floor.

Sound like your local guy?
This is an actual photo I took when I visited the alternator/starter repair shop in my town:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1590607138.jpg

Now the fan housing . . .
 

So I ordered the VR, pulled the fan housing . . . and discovered the housing is cracked. I assume these are not superficial or something I can just ignore?

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1590964135.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1590964135.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1590964135.jpg

Based on what I've read elsewhere, I think I'll just nut up and pay for a new AL housing so I don't have to worry about fragile magnesium. Better to cry once.

I also discovered that the air guide that sits behind the alternator is cracked and was repaired with (maybe) an epoxy of some kind? Any opinions on whether you'd trust that or just replace it while everything else is out?

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1590965400.jpg

Stresses placed on the fan housing are usually due to.... an overly taut drive belt tension.

As for the air guide, I’d repair by adding some FG reinforcement. It’s only touched by airflow and indirectly by excessive rotational vibration.

Sherwood

Yeah, I was kind of surprised when I pulled the drive belt nut that all 6 of the shims were on the outside of the pulley half, which as I understand means that the belt is maximally tight.

I just picked up my alternator from Finch's Alternator and Starter Rebuilders in North Houston. They did good work for an incredibly reasonable price ($100) and a pretty quick turnaround. Now just have to get the new fan housing and the fan coated. Finch's confirmed that the alternator is basically "brand new" (guy said so a couple of times, like he was surprised anything had gone wrong). He'd tested it and with the new regulator it's putting out just over 14V (I think he said 14.2).

And Finch's is definitely a long-lost brother of your guy in Richmond:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1591666554.jpg

After getting the new housing and the old fan coated, I finally got everything reinstalled today and fired up the car. Voltmeter shows pretty consistently right at or below 14v, so all is well! Thanks to everyone who chimed in!