I have had alternator issues on and off since I have owned my Dart. Original alternator (Bearings/Bushing worn out), Purchased 60 amp Powermaster (diodes crapped out after (1) month), Powermaster replaced under warranty, and sent me a unit with a bent pulley! (so I got a refund.) purchased a "New" 90 amp Bosch from NAPA ((1) diode burned out, but after switching fields the other does not charge at idle)
I found a shop to rebuild my Original alternator, and they did an excellent job!
My questions are: Is there any reason to remove the upgraded wiring directly to the battery when I go back to the Original 30+ amp alternator? (other than the ammeter bi-pass?)

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1964 Dart GT

I don't see any reason why you should go back, if your upgrades are proper. However, if you are burning out diodes, I might question whether your wiring (new or old) is causing the diode failures. Another new or rebuilt alternator may not fix anything.

Best,

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

Thanks Lou- I probably did in the diodes on the bosch alternator when I switched voltage regulators. http://www.slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic ... r&start=15
and I think the Powermaster was screwy from the start.( I never got a solid output reading from it. I only tested the first field I hooked up) Then I switched back to a stock 1964 (mechanical) voltage regulator, and it worked for awhile then burnt a connection.(probably because of the higher amp bosch alternator?)
My plan is to go back with the original alternator, a "New" voltage regulator (not sure which???) and keep the upgraded wiring. (and possibly down size the inline fuses from 50 amp???) Any input on this would be appreciated! -Dan

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1964 Dart GT

I would leave all the connections and fuses the same, but upgrade to the 70-up "flatpack" regulator and connector. This is a dead easy swap with wiring diagrams posted on this site and with a quick google search. I just did it on my 64 Valiant and I would guess that later reg will be more reliable and available.

Best,

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

Like this one?

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1964 Dart GT

The '70-up regulator works with '70-up alternators. It does not work with '69-down alternators. Also, it is neither more available nor more reliable. There are plenty of very good, very reliable regulators easily available for the '69-down system. The best of these would be a Standard VR-128 or Echlin VR-1001, fully electronic regulator (it's even kinda flat, if that's your thing).

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Thanks for mentioning the alternator year range, Dan. I forgot to mention that since I find the 70-up squareback alternator is more available from local parts stores and I always buy those regardless of the reg I am using.

Interesting that you think the newer regs are not more reliable or available. I seem to remember that one of your posts helped encourage me to do the swap. IIRC, the 70-up reg essentially was used up until the late 80s, so there are many more cars/trucks (and more recent cars) out there that would use those, and thus a local parts store is more likely to have one or get one fast.

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

$83.49 (+ tax) Echlin VR-1001 at my local NAPA
$53.79 (+ shipping) VR-128 at RockAuto
$17.95 (free shipping) Interchange Part Number:2098300 on eBay, this was the Solid-State regulator that I burned up with the 90 amp alternator. It worked fine before I switched alternators. (rated up to 50 amps max.) It's not flat, but that's o.k.!

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1964 Dart GT

Mmm…a generic "interchange for [factory part number from 1963]" made in who knows where by who knows who. H'mmm…nope, none for me, thanks; I'm driving.

Quality parts usually cost money; we seldom get more than we pay for.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

I find it just as easy to buy a good quality '70-up regulator as it is to buy a good-quality '69-down regulator. As for "not more reliable": both systems are equally reliable when equipped with parts of equal quality, and (this is key) it's equally easy to buy a lousy-quality regulator for either system.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Yes, it is a Made in China part. I find it funny that Standard is listed as a Global Company, but does not say where they are manufactured, and both Echlin & Standard use the same product photos? (same part different box?)
I had good luck with the 1st VR I bought, before I burned it up with too big(Amp) alternator. Thank You Dan, I always appreciate your input.

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1964 Dart GT

Right, lots of good stuff is made in China these days—Apple computers and phones, for example. Difference is, they are made under strict supervision and babysitting* by a Western company, and the quality control is done by the Western company. That's a whole lot different from no-name rubbish coming from Shanghai Jiaibao Wen-Xi Shinning Flick Traffic Industrial Concern and arriving in a brandless white box.

As for Echlin and Standard using the same photos: yes, because they're the same company. Standard bought Echlin a number of years ago.

*—Yes, I really mean actual, literal babysitting. I've probably told some of my product-development stories on here.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Is the VR128 and VR1001 the same identical part? Meaning half of them coming off the line get stamped 128, and the other half 1001.

Sour grapes Department:
Personal experience with VR 1001 was not good when I purchased one to replace a perfectly working old stile points regulator (still in service by the way) as previously stated back a few posts. As you know this stuff is not generally returnable once it has been installed. All I will say is Echlin got my 65 bucks, and probably won’t be seeing any more cash flow coming their way for said superior voltage regulation product. For what that electronic gismo is it is way overpriced, and for what NAPA charges, they should install it for yeah.

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67' Dart GT Convertible; the old Chrysler Corp.
82' LeBaron Convertible; the new Chrysler Corp
07' 300 C AWD; Now by Fiat, the old new Chrysler LLC

Don't know. It's probably not a high-volume sales item, so there may be large warehouse stocks of both brands...or maybe it was a PFR item for both companies starting at a certain date before or after the buyout.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

replaced the alternator with the rebuilt original one and installed the solid-state voltage regulator which says "Made in China" on the box, but says "USA" on the part?
Hooked everything back up and it is working perfectly! I will post an update in a couple of months.(if I remember)

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1964 Dart GT