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By ErnieL - 4 Years Ago
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I’m looking to replace my generator with an alternator while I install my A/C.
Thoughts? Anyone know which part number or amperage is good, does anyone know what wires need to be put where, and can I keep my original voltage regulator?
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By miker - 4 Years Ago
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You'll get a lot of comments, many here are pretty pro Ford. I've used several GM's, but my comment apply to any alternator.
All the ones I've used have the regulator built in. I don't like 1 wires. I've had too many occasions were the charge at the battery is low, and using a 3 wire solves that. I'm sure there's ways around it, but 3 wire works for me.
The wiring from the gen set to the regulator/battery is sized for the oem gen set. Fitting a large alternator (for the condenser fan, clutch, etc) may very well overload it. My bird is efi, electric main and condenser fan, power everything, and to carry the full load at night with a/c, wipers, headlights, etc. I had to increase the wire size all the way to the battery. The car is rewired, and that and relays took care of the rest of it. Kind of overkill, but if it's hot , dark, and raining that is not the time to get stuck.
Some of the kits to put GM alternators on a y block are pretty cheesy. You can probably make your own coming off the gen bracket, someone here will problem post their solution. Cheaper too.
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By Florida_Phil - 4 Years Ago
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I converted my 55 TBird to an alternator using a Casco kit. (www.classictbird.com) The alternator in this kit uses an internal regulator. I'm not sure of the manufacturer. It allows you to retain the external voltage regulator for appearances sake. The addition of this alternator has been one of the best upgrades I have done to my car.
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By ErnieL - 4 Years Ago
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My Classic Air A/C came with a bracket for both the Sanden compressor and an alternator. They recommend a GM for simplicity, but either way, it’s no biggie.
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By Daniel Jessup - 4 Years Ago
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Maybe this can help you...
https://www.hotrodreverend.com/post/2017/10/01/55-ford-fairlane-restoration-blog-part-20
https://www.hotrodreverend.com/post/2017/09/30/55-ford-fairlane-restoration-blog-part-18
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By charliemccraney - 4 Years Ago
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Alternators usually come with a pulley which is too large to work best with a Y-Block damper. Get a pulley of about 2 3/8" diameter. The crank to alternator ratio needs to be about 3:1 for a street engine and 2 3/8" almost gets it there while not being too small for a v belt.
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By ErnieL - 4 Years Ago
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I guess I’ll go to the local parts house and start comparing alternators. Hopefully I’ll find a 10SI with a 2 3/8 pulley, if not we do some swapping.
This IS a job to do. Not really something you want to be doing on a running car in the middle of cruisin’ season.
Oh? What’s that? It’s 147 degrees outside? And Covid-19 will cause you to spontaneously combust if you leave the house without a mask on?
Well, ok, we’re not missing much out there. All I did last night was kick a pan of Skydrol, then step in the spilled area, then watched it eat my $90.00 tennis shoes. Fekk!
I hate dealing with A/C, so I took the melted shoes as a sign and called it a night.
And then took the world’s nastiest hydraulic fluid to the hangar. :-/
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By cokefirst - 4 Years Ago
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I am a fan of OE look. I find that the alternators used on newer vehicles (those in the 60's) don't seem to look right to me even when they re nicely installed. The Thunderbird conversion a few posts up is a great example. The alternator is as nicely installed as it can be but it does not match the era of the car. I am a big fan of the Powergen alternator that looks almost like the OE generator. I have them on 3 of my cars and I use the OE wiring harness and pass the wiring through the voltage regulator. The regulator must have some of the connections cut and is a dummy but I also get the ones that allow my dash {GEN} light to operate. These are pricey and not for everyone. If you are not a purist or close to it, it is much cheaper to put a new style alternator on your car. I have no financial interest in the Power Gen operation, but I plan on purchasing them for my entire fleet of Y block powered fords.
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By DryLakesRacer - 4 Years Ago
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Ernie, I’m not telling you what to get or whether it should look stock. Vintage Air in its instructions call for a 20 amp feed for their system so I’m assuming that will cover the clutch and fan.
1963 Ford Failanes still had a generator and factory air. I’ve talked a few owners and all said they did not have any charging shot coming.
Normal generators are 30 amp and some 40. This tells me unless you have a lot of accessories a 60 amp alternator will be fine. The CASCO kit is a 100amp and I’m waiting for mine to arrive to install it on my 56 Victoria. I don’t have air or any electrical high amp accessories. My wiring will be sufficient because I do not have any additional load.
If I add AC I will at least move to a #8 wire which is safe at 40 amps. Safe amperage for wire is #12=20, #10=30, #8=40, #6=50 etc. if their not in a loom they can always take more and this just my rule.
A standard 60amp 3wire wire be sufficient for most of us.
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By blockhead2 - 4 Years Ago
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I have a NAPA 65 amp alternator that I put in my 59. Changed it out for a higher amperage one as I have AC and electric fan. It was OK cruising but marginal at idle with both on. I also have a used Mustang alternator, both of which I can sell you. I also have a 60 amp generNator if you want to keep the stock appearance. It is new that I would sell for less than cost at $350 plus shipping. If interested email me at wabate@verizon.net.
Regards,
Bill, 55 Tbird
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By montana ford man - 4 Years Ago
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I read an article years ago about changing from generator to an altenator in a 56 ford. It said to use an early scrub pickup altenator as they are plentiful and not too expensive. I took the plug in out of a junked out pickup it has two wires ,the exciter wire goes to the ignition switch with a diode that keeps power going one way and not back through the switch so the engine will shut off when the key is turned off. Its been probably been 15 years or more and it still works fine.you can now buy brackets to mount it but doesnt take much to fab the generator brackets to fit.my generator light works as it should and the wiring is pretty simple.hope this helps,Im not very excited about mixing brand c parts but it isnt very obvious and works very well.
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By FORD DEARBORN - 4 Years Ago
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All good advice on upgrading the charging system. This Ford 3 wire 60 amp system works perfect. I don't have A/C or an electric fan but if I throw everything I have at it, it holds the battery at 13.5 min. volts at idle forever. If Ford had kept the Y-block in production just one more year, it would probably look something like this if keeping it in the family is important to you. The brackets are unaltered generator brackets but stuffing an A/C compressor in there will present a different challenge. When you get it worked out, post some pics.    Hope this helps and good luck. Edit post: Above voltage is 14.2 not 13.5
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By paul2748 - 4 Years Ago
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Ford 12 V wiring systems between 56 and the mid 60's's didn't change that much for charging systems until Ford went to alternators around 65. I had a 64 Fairlane, original equipment was a generator (last year for a generator). It was a 6 and I went to a V8 and changed to an alternator. The Fairlane club had an article with diagrams on what to do to make the change using various alternators (Ford and GM, maybe Mopar). I selected a 2 or 3G Ford (internal regulator) and used the diagrams, which were spot on. They should work for a 50's Ford. If you know some one who is in the Fairlane club the article is available from their website.
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By ErnieL - 4 Years Ago
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Interesting stuff y’all. I have the alternator/compressor bracket set that comes with Vintage Air and Classic Auto Air systems. It’s a bit of a monkey motion looking setup that puts the compressor down low and the alternator up high. I don’t like the look at all.
I’m thinking seriously about that Powermaster generator looking alternator, and if they fit the stock brackets, My big issue with them is they’re one wire with all the drawbacks they offer. I will most likely go with it if I can figure a way around the issues. The wife wants to cruise this fall, so I’ll need to hook it all up with what I have and then revisit it all this winter. I like the stock look. I’ve gone through the trouble of hiding as much aftermarket hoses inside the heater and blower motor ducting, and having it duck out the bottom where it’s less noticeable.
What I’m going to do when I have the time to revisit this is use an original 56 factory air compressor bracket. I can mount a Senden on there as easy as anything. It sits up high, slightly to the right of the thermostat housing.
And one other thing. For those like me who care about such things, read this: Classic Auto Air advertises their “Perfect Fit” system to fit a 55-56 Ford car with no modifications. That’s not QUITE true. As it turns out, the factory Ford radio cannot be used with this system. Nowhere does it say this in any of their advertising. I actually drove to their headquarters myself as it’s only 5 miles from my shop and questioned them. I thought I had the wrong in dash unit. They printed a copy of my receipt, and there it was, on my sales slip “will not work with factory radio”. Needless to say, I was pretty darn upset. They offered me my money back, but I was already half through the installation. There’s about four inches of space so even a modern radio won’t fit.
My solution? I had an extra non working stock radio frame with the face on the shelf, so a few minutes with a hacksaw cut the front off and after cleaning, polishing, and repainting, I put it in the hole. My nice Town and Country radio is now in the closet. I’ll need to use a remote Bluetooth or some plug in jack for an iPod hook up I guess. That deal pissed me off more than it had a right to, but I don’t like purposely hidden surprises.
Anyway, onward and upward. I bought the Perfect Fit system because it was advertised as such: a perfect fit in place of the factory heat only system.
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By ErnieL - 4 Years Ago
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blockhead2 (9/5/2020)
I have a NAPA 65 amp alternator that I put in my 59. Changed it out for a higher amperage one as I have AC and electric fan. I also have a 60 amp generNator if you want to keep the stock appearance. It is new that I would sell for less than cost at $350 plus shipping. If interested email me at wabate@verizon.net. Regards, Bill, 55 Tbird
Is the generNator the one made by Powermaster? I’ve been looking at those and the one wire thingy concerns me. I’d like my generator light to function along with other benefits of a three wire system.
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By charliemccraney - 4 Years Ago
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For what it's worth, I've been using a one wire alternator for about 19 years. I have a volt gauge, instead of the light and look at it once in a while. I have not had one problem with it and this is a year round daily driver. I don't think the concerns of a one wire are really going to be much of a problem on an older vehicle with a mostly stock electrical system.
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By DryLakesRacer - 4 Years Ago
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I installed the CASCO for the Thunderbird on my 56 Victoria. It was not “bolt-on” and I expected a few modifications. The original bracket between the ends had to be extended .300” to make the belt line up. The bracket mounting to the two water pump extension at the alternator had to be recontoured over the alternator fan for clearance. I also needed to make a 1/2” spacer at the rear. A 1” shorter belt was needed.
I liked the ease of the wiring and even tho it appears to be a single wire the connection for the gen light makes it immediately charging without reviving the engine.
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By Daniel Jessup - 4 Years Ago
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I installed a 10SI on my 55 Club Sedan... and used a Vintage Air bracket.
the install information and pictures are at this link:
https://www.hotrodreverend.com/post/2017/09/30/55-ford-fairlane-restoration-blog-part-18
If you look up "wiring" on my blog you will find other posts as well
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By ErnieL - 4 Years Ago
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Thanks, Daniel.
I sent you a friend request on FB as well.
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By Daniel Jessup - 4 Years Ago
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got it!
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