Diff year alternators?

[66sportfury]

I have a 66 318 and was wondering how much longer did dodge have interchangeable alternators. Another words what else can i use for my alternator besides a 66 one?

Cause good luck on finding a poly alternator thats a 100+ amp,what do you guys use if you have a audio system?

[WD]

Is it the same single field piece of junk as a 69 runs? The nearly impossible to find round back casing? I could only get a 36 amp at idle speed rated one for my truck. My next alternator will be either a Ford high output or a Powermaster high output. Don't care about my sound system, but with a few extra lights the stock alternator doesn't cut it.

[66sportfury]

Yeah i figured i would have to go to a different brand or pay an outrageous amount for one with the same shape. I tried ordering one from napa, but when i got there it was some new HUGE alternator looked nothing like the old one. And it wouldn't even fit "hit my fan"

I blew my old alternator stupidly by putting some pioneer mids and a 12 inch mtx sub with an amp...

[Sterno]

If original appearance isn't a problem, a late model(89 on) nippondenso alternator will work . puts out 100 amps, is very compact, mounts basically the same and uses easy to swap bolt-on pulley. It is a little deeper than our stock unit.

Another piece of MoWisdom from E-Berg at Mopar Action! June 2000 Issue.

p.s. Article also mentions an 80 Amp upgrade kit for our alternators available from JC Whitney, might be worth checking out.

[Rodger]

Sir

The 36 AMP Alternator is the entry level version that is issued
for vehicles that had no Air Conditioning, Camper - Heavy Duty
or Tow Package, or nuthin. It was used on every Engine and
Division that MoPar made ( The Imperial Division and the Senior
Version's of the Chrysler Division never used this AMP since they
all had A/C ) .

To use a more AMP'd version is just a bolt on. As you look around
always think " the A/C has a need for more AMP's".



Rodger & Gabby
COS

[WD]

I tried every major parts chain for a round case, any amperage. Schucks (now O'Reilly) managed to track down a 36 amp. And it took them a month to get it. NAPA checked the computer, kept giving me a unit that would not fit. They finally said that there are NO round case units in their computer system and I need to update. Next alternator will be something decent, preferably a Powermaster. It would be nice to have an underhood welder on the farm instead of dragging a generator and welder around on a wagon behind a riding mower.

Barring that, a Ford 120 amp is a near perfect bolt in. Ditto a small Chevy single wire.

My Swepty is a rusty crusty banged up work truck. I could not care less about stock or original on it.

[Hobcobble]

Possible food for thought on higher AMP than stock alternators......
Be sure your wiring harnesses can handle it.
John

[powerwagoncrazy]

Non- Camper special sweptlines had their itty-bitty alternator charge wires wrapped up in the main loom that went around the motor, through one bulkhead connector, to the ammeter, to another bulkhead connector and finally to the starter relay on the drivers' side fender. That said, all these connection points make for higher resistance, which in a high current draw situation equates to your entire harness turning to smoke. For high amp applications, I'd reccommend abandoning the factory wire that runs from the ammeter to the alternator altogether, and running a single 4-gauge wire from the alternator directly to the (+) battery post. An el-cheapo volt gauge installed somewhere and wired into a hot-when-key-on wire is a far safer alternator monitoring device...

[junior]

How about the G.M. high out-put (one wire) alternator? That would work,wouldn't it? I put one in my 1947 dodge 1.5 ton truck to replace the cheesy old generator.It works fine!

[WD]

It's funny, the 6 volt generator in my 49 Dodge has a 6 guage wire and house type copper lugs running from the gen body to the field terminal... The engine is a lump of scrap metal but that generator puts out current spinning the engine with a breaker bar...

I wonder if the alternator on our 413 powered motorhome would bolt in... My father-in-law wouldn't know the difference, he starts it once or twice a decade and rarely goes anywhere in it, last trip was in 2005 right before Katrina destroyed his 1946 cabin cruiser...

Suppose I could try the alternator out of his 85 C-10 Silverado with a straight 6, old man is 85, really shouldn't drive anymore.

[66sportfury]

No Noo what are you guys saying that word is forbidden from any mopar site... "shakes his head in disappointment"
The day i put a gm part on any of my vehicles would be the day i die, hell if i broke down on the side of the road and a chevy drove by and offered to help. I would simply say, what me no thanks i just stopped to take a leak. never show weakness to a chevy owner.

[Russ]

You are going to a lot of trouble for no reason if you modify your alternator mount to take a non-Mopar alternator. Just go to a parts store or junk yard and get a three wire (isolated field) alternator for a late eighties Chrysler. It's rated at 78 amps if I remember correctly and bolts in. this will handle most any load you have and is safe to run without changing your wiring, assuming that your wiring is in decent condition. If you don't already have this later style alternator you will also need to get the correct regulator, and you will need a wiring harness from a junk yard as well. If your wiring isn't in decent condition no alternator is going to do any good.
Regarding GM "one wire" alternators, it requires a kit to actually make it a one wire alternator. As they come you must run a wire from the battery post to one of the connector posts to make it charge.
Actually, GM, Ford, or Chrysler alternators are dependable and last a long time, but why modify the mounts when a Chrysler will bolt in and is just as good? I also think the finned Mopar alternators look better and cool better.
I also should mention that no alternator is ever going to charge at the rated output. If it does you have a problem and you will most always see smoke, just before the flames start, LOL. Have you ever seen an amp guage that read over about 30, maybe 40 amps? The regulator determines this and you would never want to blast a battery with more charging current than this.

[WD]

My 69's alternator brackets won't accept the later square back units. Will bolt in but won't line up the pulleys to each other, hits the valve cover and interferes with the fuel line and heater hoses.

My truck needs a full rewire anyway. For now the stock 36 amp is alright as long as I don't have the lights all going.