I'm planning to put a new radio in my car (AM radio just isn't cutting it). My concern is if my alternator will be able to keep up. I've got a '66 Dart with the stock alternator and I wanted to know if my stock alternator will be able to handle a small to medium size stereo, or will I need a higher output alternator?

Define small to medium. Any amplifiers, or just deck power? If it's just an average am/fm/cd deck driving smaller speakers you'll be fine. If your getting into amps&subs, or fancy tv/lcd units, probably not. You can always compare fuse sizes.

Speakers would be 2 6x9" in the back with a head unit. One day I'll upgrade to a single amp and 4 speakers. Will either of these setups be an issue?

If your charging system is in good shape, and you don't get too big an amplifier for later on, the stock system should do just fine. I've run my old 71 dart with 4 speakers, head unit, 1000w amp, and 2 10" subs in the back without issue. Again though, make sure your charging system works properly, a marginal system may cause erratic behavior at idle.

~RDE~

_________________
1984 D100 Shorty Custom
Certified Auto Appraiser - RevItUp Classic Appraisals
President - Cherry City Bombers CC
Part of Tyrde-Browne Racing

Awesome thanks, I don't think I'd run anything more than what you have going on and my charging system seems to be in good working order.

Thor, no offense, but I highly doubt your 1000w amp is a "real" genuine 1000w rms. The fuse size tells the true tale. A legit 1000w rms amp will have ~100a fuse for a class D unit and closer to 150a for an A/B unit. Amp wattage ratings are subject to gross overstatement - often times cheap 1000w amps are closer to maybe 1/5 that value when benched. They usually advertise peak or peak-peak ratings, not rms.

A real 1000w rms amp will NOT be tolerated by a stock alternator. Ohm's law doesn't lie. Take the fuse rating on your amp, factor in efficiency and you'll know the true output. Genuine 1kw amps generally have 4awg terminals if not thicker. That's a few times more then the stock alternator charging wire all together. Thor if your amp is of good quality then your certainly not getting the full potential out of it with a stock alternator.

Josh you'll do ok with deck power and no external amps. Maybe even a small 4 channel - but you just simply can't expect more out of a stock charging system. Even if your electrical system is in pristine shape, output at idle is poor.

Have you ever looked under the hood of a competition stereo vehicle? You'll likely see massive alternators, if not several. I'm not saying you HAVE to have this much power, just using it to illustrate my point. May want to think about an alternator upgrade if you plan to get 1/2 way serious with your stereo.