Quote:
Originally Posted by Billablehours
The car is a 1978 W72 4 speed. The prior owner installed a chrome high output single pole Powermaster alternator and I would like to replace it with a more stock looking natural finish high output alternator. 100 amp minimum.
Who makes one that looks closer to stock? Keeping a single pole is ok. I’m more interested in getting rid of the chrome look.
A part number would be appreciated if possible.
Here is a picture of the existing one.
Thanks
Attachment 560948 |
That is a 10Si alternator. They are very generic. You can get one at any junk yard or auto parts store. They were used in all about GM cars from the early '70s to mid '80s. The only differences between them is the amperage rating and the "clocking". You can change the clocking by removing the 4 bolts and rotating the front relative the back, keeping the stator aligned as it is to the back. You can get one from a junk yard and swap the guts out of your chrome one into the dirty junk yard one, then sell you chrome housing to someone that wants to do the opposite. They only came stock up to 63 Amps I think.
It you want to buy a new one with up to 140 Amps, go here:
https://alternatorparts.com/10si-alt...-and-kits.html
That being said, heat is your enemy, and more amps makes more heat. There is a model called a 12Si that came out in about 1984 or so for high amperage applications. It has much better cooling. It bolts in and wires in the same. It looks similar except for the fan is flat on the front. I think that stock they cam with up to 94 Amps.
You can get a high output one here:
https://alternatorparts.com/10si-12s...ternators.html.
When you say single pole, do you mean single wire? I would not recommend this especially in you application where you apparently have high current accessories. It will under charge your battery when you have your accessories turned on. I am not sure why anyone would do this in a car that came with 3 wires to the alternator. The hot rod guys like these because they are starting with no wiring, have few accessories, are lazy and cheap, and don't understand electricity anyway.
It is important to have the voltage sensing point electrically close to the battery. The important thing being that the wire(s) between the sensing point and the battery only only carries starter current and charge/discharge current and nothing else. With a single wire alternator, the sense point is at the alternator and separated from the battery by a wire carrying all of the steady state current. The factory did not not include the extra wires because they had extra wire that they needed to use up.
As Tom V says, engineers do things for a reason.