Hey guys, what is a reasonably powerful alternator I can replace my stock one with? IS there such a thing? How easy is the swap? any help is greatly appreciated.
good morning, do a search at the top of the page for ..."one wire alt"... this should give you the info you are looking for. ...frank...
One wire is not really just a bolt in though. Would you not have to change things up with the regulator and such? The stock part is usually 36 amp. You could find a 60-65 amp that would bolt right in and use stock wiring, while looking just like the 36. I would start by going to the local parts house and having them look up the options for your exact car. If they did not have a slightly upgraded part, then I would check what a slightly higher line car from the same year might have. Say a Torino in the same year, with the same engine as yours. Or a 302 anyway. Should have a higher amp option and bolt right in. Dave Edit: It may or may not matter to you, but fwiw, a higher amp alternator will add drag to your engine. The higher the amperage, you will gradually lose HP and mileage. It is a fairly small amount of loss, but there. They say a switch from 30 amps to 100 amps in an alternator can lose as much as 15 hp. Much like solid fans vs flex/clutch fans vs electric fans... Or A/C on vs A/C off vs no A/C at all. These are just a couple of examples of things that take power and effieciency from your engine before it can even turn the tires.
Mine is a GM style, they now make Ford versions that bolt right in. The only modifications I had to do was open up the top bolt hole one drill size (Ford used a larger bolt than GM) and grind the bottom bracket slightly so that it fit closer to the body of the alternator. The old regulator and wiring can be pitched, really cleans up the engine compartment. The power needed to drive the alternator is proportional to the amount of current it has to supply, in other words, the load placed upon it. If your electrical load hasn't changed it won't require more energy to turn, but you'll have more reserve power if you need it. A nice benefit was that all of my exterior lights and dash lights got instantly brighter.
I see. Thanks much guys. Although I am a little worried about the HP/mileage issue, I'm deffinatly going to try one of these options
