Alternator Upgrade
#1
Pro
Thread Starter
Alternator Upgrade
Hello everyone!
I has been a few *years* since I last posted/lurked, but my car is slowly coming together. Hurst shifter, new body mounts, and now a new Dewitt's radiator and dual SPAL fans. Car is a '74 4 speed.
I checked high and low on the forum and the internet, and as usual I cannot find one concise answer on how to upgrade my alternator to a CS144.
The three questions I have are - which model alternator is the correct one, which adapter harness is needed (our cars have an ammeter, does this supply the correct resistance?) and what is the best way to upgrade the wiring for the output?
My fans currently work and are wired to an adapter post on the battery. I do not want to run the car on the factory wiring for long though.
Please let me know what you think. Some people say wire right to the battery, some say a wire from the output to the solenoid is fine, fuse vs fusible link. I will post pictures once the project is done
Thanks,
Will
I has been a few *years* since I last posted/lurked, but my car is slowly coming together. Hurst shifter, new body mounts, and now a new Dewitt's radiator and dual SPAL fans. Car is a '74 4 speed.
I checked high and low on the forum and the internet, and as usual I cannot find one concise answer on how to upgrade my alternator to a CS144.
The three questions I have are - which model alternator is the correct one, which adapter harness is needed (our cars have an ammeter, does this supply the correct resistance?) and what is the best way to upgrade the wiring for the output?
My fans currently work and are wired to an adapter post on the battery. I do not want to run the car on the factory wiring for long though.
Please let me know what you think. Some people say wire right to the battery, some say a wire from the output to the solenoid is fine, fuse vs fusible link. I will post pictures once the project is done
Thanks,
Will
#2
Team Owner
Hello everyone!
I has been a few *years* since I last posted/lurked, but my car is slowly coming together. Hurst shifter, new body mounts, and now a new Dewitt's radiator and dual SPAL fans. Car is a '74 4 speed.
I checked high and low on the forum and the internet, and as usual I cannot find one concise answer on how to upgrade my alternator to a CS144.
The three questions I have are - which model alternator is the correct one, which adapter harness is needed (our cars have an ammeter, does this supply the correct resistance?) and what is the best way to upgrade the wiring for the output?
My fans currently work and are wired to an adapter post on the battery. I do not want to run the car on the factory wiring for long though.
Please let me know what you think. Some people say wire right to the battery, some say a wire from the output to the solenoid is fine, fuse vs fusible link. I will post pictures once the project is done
Thanks,
Will
I has been a few *years* since I last posted/lurked, but my car is slowly coming together. Hurst shifter, new body mounts, and now a new Dewitt's radiator and dual SPAL fans. Car is a '74 4 speed.
I checked high and low on the forum and the internet, and as usual I cannot find one concise answer on how to upgrade my alternator to a CS144.
The three questions I have are - which model alternator is the correct one, which adapter harness is needed (our cars have an ammeter, does this supply the correct resistance?) and what is the best way to upgrade the wiring for the output?
My fans currently work and are wired to an adapter post on the battery. I do not want to run the car on the factory wiring for long though.
Please let me know what you think. Some people say wire right to the battery, some say a wire from the output to the solenoid is fine, fuse vs fusible link. I will post pictures once the project is done
Thanks,
Will
#3
Race Director
Member Since: Apr 2007
Location: South Western Ontario
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There is no concise answer. It can be done many different ways.
You need an adapter with a resistor or just add a resistor into the wiring.
I believe the alternator from a mid 90's B-body or F-body would work fine.
I would put a new wire from the alternator to a terminal block and then from the terminal block to the solenoid. 6 gauge wire would be appropriate. Put a fusible link at the solenoid.
Run the fans from the new terminal block.
The alternator has a voltage sensing terminal. I would connect it to the new terminal block.
I believe your car has a horn relay used as a junction block. Remove the old wire that ran from the alternator to the horn relay and the wire from the horn relay to the solenoid. Put a wire from the new terminal block to the horn relay.
The issue is that the ammeter no longer works when you do this. The easiest fix is to change it to a voltmeter.
If you don't want to change to a voltmeter then you need to reconfigure the ammeter wiring to somewhat measure the charging/discharging current. You can do this by putting the horn relay wire to the new terminal block and the other wire to the solenoid. The ammeter won't measure the same as before, but it will show something.
You need an adapter with a resistor or just add a resistor into the wiring.
I believe the alternator from a mid 90's B-body or F-body would work fine.
I would put a new wire from the alternator to a terminal block and then from the terminal block to the solenoid. 6 gauge wire would be appropriate. Put a fusible link at the solenoid.
Run the fans from the new terminal block.
The alternator has a voltage sensing terminal. I would connect it to the new terminal block.
I believe your car has a horn relay used as a junction block. Remove the old wire that ran from the alternator to the horn relay and the wire from the horn relay to the solenoid. Put a wire from the new terminal block to the horn relay.
The issue is that the ammeter no longer works when you do this. The easiest fix is to change it to a voltmeter.
If you don't want to change to a voltmeter then you need to reconfigure the ammeter wiring to somewhat measure the charging/discharging current. You can do this by putting the horn relay wire to the new terminal block and the other wire to the solenoid. The ammeter won't measure the same as before, but it will show something.
Last edited by lionelhutz; 08-14-2017 at 10:10 AM.
The following 2 users liked this post by lionelhutz:
NewbVetteGuy (08-29-2017),
Will's'74VetteL-82 (08-26-2017)
#4
Pro
Thread Starter
There is no concise answer. It can be done many different ways.
You need an adapter with a resistor or just add a resistor into the wiring.
I believe the alternator from a mid 90's B-body or F-body would work fine.
I would put a new wire from the alternator to a terminal block and then from the terminal block to the solenoid. 6 gauge wire would be appropriate. Put a fusible link at the solenoid.
Run the fans from the new terminal block.
The alternator has a voltage sensing terminal. I would connect it to the new terminal block.
I believe your car has a horn relay used as a junction block. Remove the old wire that ran from the alternator to the horn relay and the wire from the horn relay to the solenoid. Put a wire from the new terminal block to the horn relay.
The issue is that the ammeter no longer works when you do this. The easiest fix is to change it to a voltmeter.
If you don't want to change to a voltmeter then you need to reconfigure the ammeter wiring to somewhat measure the charging/discharging current. You can do this by putting the horn relay wire to the new terminal block and the other wire to the solenoid. The ammeter won't measure the same as before, but it will show something.
You need an adapter with a resistor or just add a resistor into the wiring.
I believe the alternator from a mid 90's B-body or F-body would work fine.
I would put a new wire from the alternator to a terminal block and then from the terminal block to the solenoid. 6 gauge wire would be appropriate. Put a fusible link at the solenoid.
Run the fans from the new terminal block.
The alternator has a voltage sensing terminal. I would connect it to the new terminal block.
I believe your car has a horn relay used as a junction block. Remove the old wire that ran from the alternator to the horn relay and the wire from the horn relay to the solenoid. Put a wire from the new terminal block to the horn relay.
The issue is that the ammeter no longer works when you do this. The easiest fix is to change it to a voltmeter.
If you don't want to change to a voltmeter then you need to reconfigure the ammeter wiring to somewhat measure the charging/discharging current. You can do this by putting the horn relay wire to the new terminal block and the other wire to the solenoid. The ammeter won't measure the same as before, but it will show something.
Keeping the ammeter would be cool, even if it doesn't read correctly (I suppose it wouldn't account for the draw of the fans). When I redo the interior I will then convert it to a voltmeter.
Thank you so much! I will post back on the progress...
-Will
#5
Pro
Thread Starter
Just ordered the CS144 alternator, adapter harness with resistor, 6 gauge wire, 10 gauge fusible link, and a 250 amp buss bar. I will get the crimp terminals locally. Should be a good install.
-Will
-Will
#6
Le Mans Master
Wiring
I would think about adding a relay for each fan. You can get a wealth of information as well as an inexpensive relay kit with wiring from Mad Electronics. Mark is the man for this stuff. Google his site. Jerry
#8
Pro
Thread Starter
Fans are already relayed via the SPAL kit. The load from the fans in a single speed mode really isn't an issue, I drove the car all day yesterday no problem. I just don't want to burn my car down in the long run...I will also be doing EFI in the future so an upgraded charging system is definitely required.
-Will
#9
Melting Slicks
#10
Pro
Thread Starter
Are you referring to "MAD Electrical"?
i.e. http://www.madelectrical.com/catalog/rly-1.shtml
i.e. http://www.madelectrical.com/catalog/rly-1.shtml
I like what I see there...gets the gears going for doing the headlight relay setup haha
-Will
#11
Pro
Thread Starter
Good news! I have the alternator and wiring up and running. Here is how it went down:
Installed CS144 from 1995 Impala SS. Installed with no modifications at all.
Adapter harness with resistor was installed to adapt to factory harness.
Ran 6ga wire from alternator output to 250A terminal block, then ran wire with 10ga fusible link to solenoid.
Electric fans ran straight to terminal block instead of battery.
The factory wiring I kept wired as per original. 1974 was the first year for the horn relay design to be changed from the terminal style to just a connector. There wasn't really the option of running new wires without hacking the harness.
The factory wiring should be fine now, because there is no additional load on it - because the fans are routed to the terminal block, the load is zero. Even the ammeter reads no load when the fans are on, as opposed to before where the ammeter read 40+ amps when the fans turned on. I think that indicates that the project was a success.
The only issue I have is the CS144 plastic fan seems to be warped when you torque the v belt pulley onto it, so it rubs the case a little bit. I don't know if I should add some washers to lessen the force on the fan from the pulley. What do you guys think? No one else online seemed to indicate doing so....
I also installed a 180* thermostat so the fans cycle perfectly now, just like a modern car. Before they ran constantly because both thermostats were set to 195*.
Thanks again for all of the help, the project went smoothly because of it!
-Will
Installed CS144 from 1995 Impala SS. Installed with no modifications at all.
Adapter harness with resistor was installed to adapt to factory harness.
Ran 6ga wire from alternator output to 250A terminal block, then ran wire with 10ga fusible link to solenoid.
Electric fans ran straight to terminal block instead of battery.
The factory wiring I kept wired as per original. 1974 was the first year for the horn relay design to be changed from the terminal style to just a connector. There wasn't really the option of running new wires without hacking the harness.
The factory wiring should be fine now, because there is no additional load on it - because the fans are routed to the terminal block, the load is zero. Even the ammeter reads no load when the fans are on, as opposed to before where the ammeter read 40+ amps when the fans turned on. I think that indicates that the project was a success.
The only issue I have is the CS144 plastic fan seems to be warped when you torque the v belt pulley onto it, so it rubs the case a little bit. I don't know if I should add some washers to lessen the force on the fan from the pulley. What do you guys think? No one else online seemed to indicate doing so....
I also installed a 180* thermostat so the fans cycle perfectly now, just like a modern car. Before they ran constantly because both thermostats were set to 195*.
Thanks again for all of the help, the project went smoothly because of it!
-Will
#14
Pro
Thread Starter
Any thoughts?
-Will
#15
Pro
Thread Starter
https://www.dbelectrical.com/alterna...ive/chevrolet/
Helped me out. Great customer service too!
Helped me out. Great customer service too!
-Will
#16
Pro
Thread Starter
Problem Solved! The old 10SI did have a spacer that I neglected to install on the CS144. 5 minute job to swap that in and the fan is perfect now. Job is complete at this point. Now the car just needs the EFI swap...
-Will
-Will
#18
Pro
Thread Starter
You have a 69 so your horn relay is the old design, so you should be able to follow lionelhutz's instructions to the letter.
I will post up some pictures tomorrow that should help.
-Will
The following users liked this post:
Will's'74VetteL-82 (08-29-2017)
#20
Melting Slicks
You guys, this thread is awesome and gives me the last little confidence boost that I need. As soon as I finish up my HID / LED halo headlight install this weekend I'll be making almost identical purchases.
Will: Were you able to use the stock driver's side alternator bracket with the CS144? -This was the last item in the swap that I couldn't figure out. Some people have reported that the stock brackets don't work or that you need to drill some new holes.
Thanks!
Adam
Will: Were you able to use the stock driver's side alternator bracket with the CS144? -This was the last item in the swap that I couldn't figure out. Some people have reported that the stock brackets don't work or that you need to drill some new holes.
Thanks!
Adam
The following users liked this post:
Will's'74VetteL-82 (08-29-2017)