Here's the bottom line, IMHO: If you want to minimize the chances of getting stranded with a bad alternator, dead battery, etc., then have it rebuilt now. There's no magic to these alternators, and any competent foreign car alternator rebuilder can handle it.

My $.02.

No ill will here... If it was me in the same situation , I would have it R+Rrd while it is out for the $75 it is cheap insurance.... and you wouldnt want to take it back out after you just get everything back in and running...
I would like to see some pics of the Nickel plating on the fan and housing when its done..
vvvveerrrryyy sorry if I mislead anyone with my earlier post... I too have taken my share of alternators out while in the engine bay and still perfer to do it the PM way.. I work in engineering shop at the biggest Hospital in the area and 90% of what we do is PM... I have seen the mess a blower can make inside a RTU when the bearings fail.. its much easier to do it before it fails... plus they always seem to fail at 1 am in January at 20 degrees below zero..
or in the case of an alternator on your way to the Porsche Rally you have been looking forward to going to for three months.
Peace... didnt mean to get this thread sidtracked... I can be really good at maiking a jacka**
out of myself sometime...

Tony,

I will certainly post some pictures of the fan & housing when I get them back from the plater. I have read of folks having this done, but haven't seen any pictures yet (at least in the search I did some time ago).

cheers,
Frank

What could B the emrgency ??? With a dead Alt you still have several hrs of lfe left in your batt in the day time and a couple in the night ....
I run a PC 680... I bet I can get at least an hour out with the lts on !! (@32deg)

Frank, I hope you will have noticed that whatever "tension" you caused was quickly dissipated by a couple of posters having fun with each other. Be cool.

I wanted to post an update after getting the alternator back from its rebuild. The cost was only $85 and it looks so good it's hard to believe it's the same alternator, but the serial number matches, so they did rebuild mine and didn't simply swap it out for another.

Tony,

I'm not sure if you saw my post on this, but you had asked to see a picture of the Nickel plated fan & housing. Check out the following link:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/445957-nickel-plated-fan-housing.html

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1230695659.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1230695699.jpg