Leece Neville was selling alternators for aftermarket fit for cop cars, fire trucks, whatnot for a long long time before Chrysler offered an alternator as stock fit in 1960. I think they would look cool on a vintage rod or an old cop car, but I'm not turning up ANYTHING on the old ones. Does anyone have any of the old L-N manuals or literature or an early one sitting in the junk pile...or on a car? From what little I've seen they were pretty big around and fairly log but shorter than most generators. Or am I way off on the description? Did anyone offer them as a factory option on cars before about 1960?
I'll look at the book I have in the shop, the generator shop in the back of a gas station I bought years ago closed in 1965 I'm pretty sure it came from there.
L-N made heavy duty car retrofit generator sets after WWII. Junkyards had them around from s**** police cars, only ham radio op's wanted them. L-N alternator kits started about 1957, I have a complete NOS kit I plan to use with a RCA Carfone 50 in a Oldsmobile. Pretty scarce today.I also have a L-N generator/alternator standby power unit, you can excite with either 12V/110V and get the other, or spin with a engine or PTO to 3600rpm and get both. L-N and Jack and Heintz were the very best, made top shelf stuff.
What I have is 1968-70, looks like they marketed to fire trucks, busses, ambulances, police.(well it says that on the inside cover) I've found a L-N alternator program folder, service bulletin folder, #4 Service manual for generators. alternators and cranking motors folder. Nothing on gen-motors, they generated high voltage a/c to replace the old ********s and transformers in older radios.
I didn't know Jack and Heintz made automotive stuff, they had a lot of aircraft units. High copper killed a lot of them and now the warbird guys need them bad. Does the carfone kit give B+ off a high voltage 3 phase transformer and also 12 volt for the car system? I have a KWM2 in my Dodge truck with a Motorola power supply.
That seemed to be the opinion of every rebuilder I ever talked to. They wouldn't even take it for a core. Mack trucks used them and even the Mack dealers said to replace it with a Delco.
We had many pieces of equipment at the steel mill where I worked.They worked ok,but expensive to repair. Ended up switching them all to 1 wire delco,worked better and cheeper.
Not sure if I'm answering what you are asking but Carfone (they) doesn't use a M-G set, has internal supply originally ******** then later converted to solid state invertor. Step up transformer for voltages except filament which is vehicle supply. I can sure understand rebuilders not wanting them for cores as very limited market for them. Certainly Delco units a easier self contained replacement in later years, but that use isn't a reflection of L-N quality. L-N was what was available in those early years of automotive alternator use. No one seemed to want them later in the junkyards either. This thread made me wonder when Motorola rolled out their alternator kits, I've seen what seems like very early M six volt kits (with the metal sticker on the alternator) on tractors, and one Model A Ford.
I bought this just to win a few bar bets on the first year for a Ford alternator. I don't like them we never saw them on the street. IMHO they are ugly.
I have a brand new NOS Leece Neville regulator i bought for a 1966 or 1968 1 ton F-350 Ford Ex utility truck if anyone is interested in it. I just dont Remember if it was for Alt or gen. PM me
25+ years in the electronic tech, component buyer and production planning business has taught me that the word "quality" is one that needs very careful explaining. It can mean consistency, suitability to purpose, reliability, durability, and a hundred other things. Leece Neville (Prestolite) and Delco-Remy are the primary producers of alternators today for medium and heavy duty vehicles worldwide and for marine and industrial units of that size. Most people like one or the other better and most hot rodders like Delco because that's what's on GM vehicles and that's what they know. The truck guys seem divided. I've had good results with either one and spectacular failures with both. Both are way better than Bosch or Lucas junk.
From the perspective of mobile radio use, Delco definitely has and had the edge, one and a very important reason being Delco design is Y-wound which in end use is easier to filter whine out of all radio use, transmission side and reception. I can't comment on how L-N or Motorola /Chrysler are wound as I never had the occasion in broadcast radio, tape player, CB, amateur radio and two-way radio use to trouble shoot noise complaints any of those brands. Ford are delta wound, and are murder to filter alternator whine complaints on any where the OE alternator has been replaced with anything else. Long story short is the Ford types are very susceptible to diode leakage and even quality rebuilds such as NAPA make for very noisy units in radio use. Recent years has become a running joke criminals know the Crown Vic alternator hum/whine which is audible on cruisers where a aftermarket alternator is in place. The P-71 guys seem to grab the late NOS Ford units when they pop up on ebay, I wish agencies would get the clue and specify OE replacement for their fleets. You tell them to replace the aftermarket alternator to get rid of 90% of two way radio noise, and noise problems in their telemetry but they don't, they don't buy the explanation. Tube type sets both two-way and broadcast just don't have as much of a alternator noise problem, other DC or faulty ignition noises, yes.
I have a L-N on my 1956 Ford f750. (fire truck) The regulator was bad so I called L-N company with the numbers off the Alt. and the regulator. They could not find any refference to them in their records. I looked on line for a regulator and found them to be priced in the $100 range. Then I spoted a NOS on e-bay for $25. SOLD to the lucky me. If it fails again, I will replace it with a one wire Delco.
L-N seems to not give a s*** from what I can see about old anything. Unfortunate. I'd use a Delco but never a one wire. One wire ****s. If one wire worked that great GM wouldn't waste the six cents or so per car to put the exciter wire in. It was ok for a tractor where the battery was just for starting but regulation ****s on a modern car with variable loads. I never thought about delta vs. wye from that standpoint but makes sense. I would think capacitor filtering with some kind of choke would fix it but that adds weight and cost.
The Jalopy Journal
