Today was a good and bad day.. Turned over 10,000 mile mark on the way to work in it (did it in 2yrs) It was about 33 degress this morning (with no heater) but I was smiling from hitting the milesstone. I also noticed that I was only running 10+ volts.. Figured it was a loose connection since it started fine, Well at lunch with Flamedabone, it hesitated to start and by the time I got back to work it was below 10.. Well I left work early to miss traffic and any darkness to make a run for the garage.. Got a mile or two from home and I could feel it starting to hesitate in the fuel, got lucky and just as I turned on to my street and got to within one house it died and I coasted into the driveway. Damn thing is a pig and tough to push up a slight incline. So I now have an extension cord strung out to the car with the charger so I can start it and move it into the garage.. So 10,000 of almost trouble free cross country driving.. I think the Alternator went out.. Its one of those chrome Alternators (summit racing), so I guess I have to learn how to rebuild one as I want to keep the chrome casing
Congrats on the milestone. I've got a chrome alternator too and it sure doesn't seem to last as long as others. Someone mentioned to me it's cuz it attracts alot of heat that is wears out faster?? Who knows. I've had to have mine rebuilt twice in the last 32,000 miles. Mines a Ron Frances? I think.
I love the look of chrome but hate how it shortens the life. So Denise what you are saying if I better get good at rebuilding them....
Cool!I just want to see that thing!How boutcha road test the new alt. and drive it to PA so I can get a ride.
I certainly got good at replacing them. The first time it went out I was on the road and a guy from the NSRA fellow pages gave me an extra one to use for the rest of my trip. I got home and had mine rebuilt, then took his off and put mine back on. THEN when it went again I took it off and of course had to put it back on after it was rebuilt again. In between this time, I had one problem after another with the alternator bracket breaking and having to be welded back together a number of times. Mines 17 1/2 inches long. FINALLY, had a good buddy make me one out of solid AL that hasn't given me one lick of trouble in 15,000 miles. The steel ones were just too thin I guess for that long reach. Been kind of thinking about ribbing it so it matches my finned valve covers and finned air cleaner plate. Not too deep, just enough to be able to paint alittle contrast black in there or something. Well, now that I completely got off the subject.... why don't you do a tec-o-matic on your alternator rebuild and we could all learn from it. I might then even be able to rebuild mine myself next time
lulabelle, it will make a PA appearance once the weather gets better, an Alternator wont keep it down for long..... After meeting Sawzall, SoWhat and the other PA group, I decide I need to find a reason to get up that way and drink a beer and do a garage crawl..
Who says cars don't have a sense of humor! Your alternator probably came with a 2 year or 10,000 mile warranty... They know, I tell ya... Just like the big buck standing in your yard the day BEFORE deer season opens. Same one that's back the day AFTER the season ends...
Hey Boones, you proved once and for all that the idiom "Chrome Won't Get you Home" is 100% true. Congrats on the miles dude. I've got at least 50,000 miles on my '54 Chevy, but that's in 13 years and with two engines. I've no real way of knowing because the odometer hasn't worked for 4 of those years.
Boones, a couple of years ago i had a problem with the mor-dor on the way home from the show in Lexington,,,I thought it was the 100 amp alt. and replaced it and the battery only to die again the next mounth comming home from the nats south. a long story short after one more battery i found a bad connection in the inline resistor ,,,,,,,,replaced the stupid little lead bullet and its worked great ever since! HRP
Hot Rod thanks for the advise. Before tearing into it I will charge the battery up and do a volt test so see if it is putting out (I think it will even if the resistor is bad) if I test at the Alternator.. I just need to buy a volt meter (electrical is not my fortay)
In the two years I have had the Galaxie, I have put over 40K on it, I drove the wheels off of it. Now it is hibernating since I got the Suburban.
Boones, congratualtions on your 10,000 miles. I hit 4500 miles on my flathead in the 37 just since June. Your alternator cover being chrome is not really the problem. The biggest problem with alternators going bad is definitely the heat. But its the fact that the alternator housing and/or the fan in front is not adequate. Alot of the higher amperage alternators give off alot more heat but the manufacturers are not providing enough ventilation in them and are using the same design as the small ones. These have too small of an exhaust opening in the back and the fan isn't designed to throw off more air. Summits cheapo alternators have internal components that are made cheaply and won't take even the average heat. I usually keep my chome casing and either take the old one to a rebuilder or go to a place that sells higher quality units that are lifetime guarateed. Then if the new guts go bad in the chrome casing again. I just save the new casing and reinstall it before returning it. These are really simple to change. 1 Remove the pulley with an impact. (3.the only thing that will take it off. 2 remove the four long bolts that hold the housing together. 3. separate the back side of the housing leaving the shaft with the winding attached to the front. 4. from there you just need to take all the components out of the new one and install it into the old housing after removing the old components. 5. When installing the new brushes into the new unit. Gently slide them into the holders and push them in far enough to slide a small nail into the a 1/8 hole in the front housing. The nail will hold the brushes in place so you can slide the new shaft with windings in place. From there you just have to reinstall the back half of the casing. You may consider, opening up the rear venting holes more to allow more heat to excape. The bakc of the casing is the exhaust side. This may get you started. Wish I had pics to show you. yell if you need more help.
I was just about to call your *** to see if you made it home. If you don't get it fixed before hot rod lunch, charge the battery, limp it to Bob's and we'll make her all better. Good luck with your pile and see you Saturday. -Abone.
Boones, congrats !! I think i've put around 7500 miles on between my deuce and my '33 pick up in the past two summers. Considering our ****ty weather, i'm real happy with that! Keep on rollin' man! Rat..
Oh yea, ****. I forgot... Well...your car is DEFINATELY!!!!!! not gonna start when you get home. Don't let your old lady push you off the boat, -Abone.
Got the battery charged and ready to ride if need be... I think i can get a good 25 miles out of a battery... Will dig into it when I get back.
The Jalopy Journal
