asbestos

To anyone out there who is contemplating installing an alternator with an internal voltage regulator into an earlier car, a warning about the shroud behind the alternator. There are a variety of posts floating around different websites (not here) about cutting the old alternator shroud to clear the regulator. I did this last weekend, and the material looks and smells suspiciously like asbestos. As we all know, this stuff is bad for you.

So if anyone is updating their alternator, I suggest buying a new shroud, rather than cutting the old one.

it's fiberglass. what's asbestos smell like?

Asbestos has a sweet smell, but I think you're right, it's fiberglass.