Upgrading Alternator to an internal from External.

[GC 53]

I was told that I might find some help on changing over the system in my wife's '78 SC. It did have an external regulator, the alternator I ended up with is with an internal reg.
Appreciate the help and any thought on how much of a hassel it is to swap over?
Thank you, please respond by email to :
cooperokiehomie@cs.com

Gary

[sammyg2]

i haven't done it yet but I did some studying on the subject, here's the tech bulletin I got from this board:
http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/images/electrical/alt_tech_art1.jpg

http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/images/electrical/alt_tech_art2.jpg

[304065]

Gary,

It's not that much trouble but let me share my experience.

When I bought my race car there was no voltage regulator installed. I expected it to have an internal regulator, but to my shock, there was an old external reg'd version in place. So no charging!

I bought a Valeo alternator from our host that would fit a Carrera. The first thing I discovered was that the later alternators don't fit into the earlier housings. For the Carrera alternator, you need a 930...4R casting number on the shroud or later for it to fit.

Here's the capper: when installed in the car, the internal regulator is very close to the engine case. On a hot day, heat from the engine can overheat the regulator, causing it to shut down, which manifests itself as a no-charge situation. Trouble is, you would immediately shut off the motor, because a sudden red light is also the sign of a broken fan belt.

So I would say, if you got a rebuilt alternator, make sure it's the same physical dimensions as what you started with, and not a later version. Some of the rebuilding shops convert the external regulated versions over to internal regulated using a small VR that looks like a silver box mounted where the brush holder is.

Anyway, for a street car an internal reg's probably not too bad- you just install the new alternator, cut the black DF wire off and remove it, and remove the voltage regulator from the harness, and you're good to go. Some need to install the resistor behind the oil pressure gauge, but I didn't find it necessary.