Alternator shop recommendation

[Maffett]

Can anyone recommend a shop in the middle Tennessee area (between Nashville - Knoxville) to rebuild a Marchal alternator?

Thanks in advance.

[47silver]

Stellar generator in pittsburgh

call mark
412-563-2100
the best..he will fix and upgrade with better diodes...
tell him gary sent you

[stlrj]

What's wrong with NAPA? For about $180 I got a rebuilt for my '86 3.2 with a lifetime guarantee. They'll even check the old one to see if it really went bad.

Store Locator Search Results | NAPA Online

[Maffett]

Gary - thanks for the suggestion - I'll call Mark if I can't find a closer source.

There is a NAPA store here in town. My guess is that they haven't seem an alternator off of a 74 911 before. But I think there is a Motorcraft substitution for my Marchal. My alternator needs the typical stuff - bearings, diodes, brushes. Is it not asking too much of a general automotive electrical shop to do the work, or provide a replacement?

I'm not trying to make this any more difficult than it needs to be. Where do most old 911 alternators get fixed / replaced?

[stlrj]

Originally Posted by Maffett

There is a NAPA store here in town. My guess is that they haven't seem an alternator off of a 74 911 before.

Just so happens mine is a 74 with an 86 3.2. I was very surprised when they pulled up the replacement alternator in the time it took to click a mouse.

Guess that's technology...

[47silver]

My experience a couple years ago replacing an alternator via a parts store entailed 3 trips to the store and they still did not get it right.

I also learned that rebuilt NAPA ETC alternators use soldered diodes and not the pressed diodes that are original factory. Look inside your factory alternator and you will see the pressed diodes. Look at a rebuilt and you will see the black diodes dangling on soldered joints waiting to vibrate loose. The soldered do not last as long and are not as reliable. 2 of the rebuilt alternators i received where faulty out of the box due to bad solder joints.

I also learned that there are different size fan shrouds that take different size alternators, apparently with the same part numbers. My 75 uses a fan shroud with 5R designation which is different is some way than the other "X"R designations. If you alternator does not fit a 5R fan housing then it will sit too deep in your fan housing and your fan will hit. This problem happened to me so it was my last trip to the parts place. By the way they specialized in foreign parts.

After 3 chances i said forget it and opted to have my original alternator rebuilt.
So I took it to Stellar Generator.
Mark at Stellar, showed me the difference in diodes, and ordered heavier duty ones for the new alternator. He also sent the stator? out to get rewound.
the upshot is i have an alternator that will last 50000 miles.
I also picked up another 75 fan shroud (it is a 5R) which had an alternator attached and I had Mark rebuild that one too. Just in case.
Last: you need longer bolts in your alternator to make it easy to reconnect the air deflector,, an alternator shop can get these for you, they wont come with a rebuilt from NAPA.
If you have the time, get it rebuilt locally, explain you want the pressed diodes not soldered.
If your removed alternator has soldered diodes then it is a rebuilt one.
Mark explained that the pressed diodes handle the heat better and do not vibrate loose so they last longer.
The second alternator did not require stator work so it cost about what you will pay for a rebuilt one from NAPA, but his work is first class and he knows his starters and alternators.

[Maffett]

Gary / 47silver,

I shipped my alternator and external voltage regulator to Mark at Stellar. Thanks for the suggestion.

[47silver]

did mark take care of you?

[Maffett]

He did. Though it will be a while before the engine is back in the car and running. I'm at the beginning of a full rebuild. Thanks for the suggestion about Mark.

[Driver_X]

Just got my Alt back from Mark, looks brand new....reasonable cost and got it back to me in about a week.

Thanks for the recommendation....