I have a 1950 Pontiac straight 8 with a bad generator. The only mechanic in driving distance says the armature is bad and he doesn't have one. He advised me to look for a rebuilt one. He is 81 and has been rebuilding generators since he was 16, so I trust his judgement. I did a search for one, but the only one that came up with the same part number as mine was listed as being for a 6 cylinder. Is there a difference between a 6 and 8? Mine has the number 1102711 OC28 on the Delco tag. I am guessing that the OC28 is the build date. Can anyone help me find a generator or give me a part number for an armature that would fit mine.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/276174375125 I'd reach out to this guy. He may be able to help you with interchange and parts. I didn't find any others, but the search engines have gone downhill. I know Summit and Advanced auto don't have them, and they and other major retailers fill the first 2 pages.
He is the guy that said the generator is for a 6 cylinder. It is posted in his listing. I will contact him and see what he says. Thanks for the reply
The old interchange books would help, but they are rare to find in person and nobody has published them online that I know of. You might try The Old Car Manual Project. They have some big holes, but sometimes come through with amazing stuff. https://oldcarmanualproject.com/ Example https://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/bulletins/50psn/index.html
This place lists interchange, but out of stock. This is a pdf of their catalog. Same parts as rock auto, bushings and brushes. https://www.pontiacparts.net/wp-content/uploads/Catalog-For-Site-2023.pdf This place has been around for a long time. Their own website is down, but the ebay store is still there. https://www.ebay.com/str/faxonautoliterature Sorry I can't just provide a part number that unlocks all the doors. Most of the people still having this stuff on the shelf and hoping to sell are either drowned out by the big stores online or aren't savvy to internet trade or both.
I wouldn't think the generator would know what it was mounted on and can count cylinders. If the mounting dimensions are the same, I bet it would keep the battery charged and the lights illuminated no additional lights on an eight cylinder car of the era
1102711 generator crosses to a rebuilt generator number 9410. The armature number is Delco 1935277 which crosses to a rewound armature number 50. It's a long case generator so if the length of the armatures is the same you should be good. The number 50 armature has a 6203 bearing up front and a bushing on the com end. The only other armature that was listed for that year has a 6203 bearing on both ends not a bearing and bushing. The generator only cares about voltage, not about the number of cylinders. Hope this helps.
I would think so too. But nobody around here rebuilds anything anymore. There is not a big call for the older stuff here either.
I closed down the auto electric rebuilding side of the family business two years ago after 64 years in business, you just can’t compete with the internet price wise and there’s not enough old stuff to make a living on. I had an offer on the shop property that I couldn’t p*** up, and moved the speedometer repair to my home garage. Times change, I was lucky enough to own the shop property which was in a great downtown location and took the money and ran.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/posts/14085198/ This is the thread on my shop closure. Don’t mean to hijack your thread but it kinda explains why rebuilding shops, electrical, brake and clutch and the like are few and far between nowadays.
Having played with these many years ago, I found that Delco used the same generator on Chevy's, Pontiacs, Olds, etc. and 6 or 8 cyl. made no difference . That was here in Australia, but I expect that it would have been the same in the U.S. Try searching for a similar year GM model, you may get lucky with a used unit.
To touch on this also, Id agree, 6 or 8 it doesnt care. Search other GM products from then and up, You can most likely find a core and grab the armature out of it as needed. Honestly depending on how the gen mounts are to the motor, you may be able to retrofit a later gen on there also. Also, finding anyone to rewind armatures is a lost art, if you have a growler you can find the failure, its normally a chaffed wire or a broken joint to the comm. One is easy the other not so much...
Thanks for all the replies. I found one on e-bay with the same part number. Comes with a 1 year warranty. With tax and shipping it will be about $275. By the time I find an armature, get it here , and then have the thing rebuilt I can have this one installed and moving the car under power instead of trying to push or tow it.
Right there is the main reason that I build hot rods and customs and can't get caught up in the "Original or else' nonsense. I can buy a rebuilt 12 volt delco alternator at any parts house in the country for about 45 bucks or rebuild my own for under 15 and don't have to worry about hunting down rare as rocking horse **** parts.
My city is still blessed with an old established auto electric rebuilder. I do a small amount of auto repair work besides the family fleet of cars, and I always get alternators and starters rebuilt there (I don't ever simply buy new ones), I am selfish and want them to stay in business.
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