VetteJohn

Thinking about doing some mods to my ’62 and first up would be replacement of the generator with an alternator. I think I’d like a self regulated unit with 100 amp output. Has anyone done this? What did you have to do to the wiring? Did you leave the regulator in place? Does the AMP Gauge need to modified or replaced with the higher load? What bracket(s) did you use? I did a search but not a lot of help.

knockbill

the wiring is sized for teh generator,, the red wire is 10 gauge , i believe, about 30amps,,, you would need a larger wire from teh alt to compensate for its out put,,, probably with a fuse or circuit breaker,,,

newer cars with high output alternators, usually use volt meters instead of ammeters,,,

i'm thinking about it for the 56 i'm building,,, does the 62 use a generator driven tach or is it driven by teh distributor?

John S 1961

I mostly followed the advice from these guys, MadElectrical.com

I was lucky enough to talk to them, they reccomended a shunt (14g jumper) across the ammeter which keeps the guage from having to handle all the current.

I added the terminal block CN-1 (from a c4 vette actually)

I used a three wire alternator so I could sense the voltage at the main bus.

the main power up wire is white (as I recall) about 10 guage an goes to the the hot side of the Amp guage,

Everything connects at the CN-1 terminal block, I added another terminal block to power up the relays for headlights.

Basically you are trying to get the high current accessories to power up from the Secondary system, gets the high current load off of the old harness.

DZAUTO

I absolutely WILL NOT DISCOURAGE you from converting to an alternator.
Depending on what you want, and how you set it up, there should be plenty of information available about the conversion.
BUT, just let me throw this in for thought. Unless you plan to add some significant electrical loads to the system (such as air cond), the original style generator and voltage regulator and related wiring are more than adequate to take care of all existing electrical needs.

On a 62 model, the tach drive is a non issue, because beginning with the 62 Vettes, ALL tachometers were driven by the distributor. The base (250hp) and first optional (300hp) 327 had a vacuum advance distributor. The 340hp and 360hp(FI) distributors were dual point and only had mechanical advance.

Tom Parsons

NOM61

I used a Painless high amp alternator wiring kit when I upgraded to a 140 amp alternator. Works for me. 6 ga from alternator to battery with a fused link.
I already had the "opportunity" to test the fused link when I was dumb enough to install the headers without disconnecting the battery while wearing my Seiko "Monster". Grounded the watch bezel on the terminal wire which popped the fuse and spot-welded the watch bezel in place!
That's my "official" "working on the car watch" now so I have a constant reminder of how stupid it is to work in close proximity to a hot charging system.
At least it was less painful than the guy I used to work with who put a multimeter across 480 KV!

DT

VetteJohn

Knockbill - using a tach drive distributor.

John S 1961 - I've also checked out the MAD site, great info. Does the shunt wire heat up very much?

Tom - I agree 100% that a properly maintained generator system is more than adequate for these cars as built. However, I plan on adding AC and electric fan(s).

DT - I'll take a look at the Painless site.

Thanks All.

John

John S 1961

No heating that I notice, Also note that with the kind of secondary over the top wiring system the MAD guys reccomend, you can put your headlights on relays and they are nice and bright, and with your new terminal blocks you can wire all your new accessories (with relays) from there. I guarantee that the old wiring has alot of resistance through the various connections and getting the large current devices off the old harness can only be better

Sxrxrnr

If your 62 is still using the old style ignition switch(the one that operates without a key if you wish),,,,I think the 62 uses this switch, and you are not using a single wire alternator!

My post/thread of my adventure with this combination may save you a lot of frustration. I spent quite a bit of time on this issue including talking with a number of vendors and their technical support staffs to no success.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c1-a...g-problem.html

Skip down to post number 20 if you wish to bypass all the morbid details.

Basically the alternator has a kick start ignitor signal that gets back fed into the ignition switch which generate an impulse to the starter circuit,,,,and these older switches have an issue with this at ignition shut off engine time. The inline diode resolves this. Make certain that it is installed correctly as they are of course directional..

I got the diode at Radio Shack,,,forget the specific part number but will figure it out tomorrow when I have a look-see.

INMYBLOOD

I had made the switch many years ago. The first alt I put in was only 45 amp and I ran the current through the amp gauge. I never saw more than 15-20 amps drawn with my fans and such. Now that I have more fans and AC I went to a 100 amp alt and run it straight to the battery. So yes I have not amp guage function anymore. The point being if you just want a replacement you can hook the red wire to a low amp alt and it will work.

Plasticman

Check post #4 on this thread:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c1-a...-question.html

I have been using this circuit on my 62 for many years, and several other forum members have it on theirs.

Plasticman

my58

You also may want to check out Alan Grove for brackets, I used them for my conversion and love them.

http://www.alangrovecomponents.com/S...Short_Pump.htm