alternator options for my fury

[t57f100]

im looking to buy a new alternator for my 65 plymouth fury with a 318 engine.should i convert over to a different style alternator like a one wire if so whats the procedure i dont want to burn up my car electrical system.or stay with the original type.what have you guys done

 

[Big_John]

Unless you are doing something crazy like a big sound system, the stock alternator with an electronic version of the stock regulator will do everything you want or need.

The only "update" I would suggest might be to use the later (70 up) isolated field alternator and regulator. Lot's of people do that mod and are quite happy.

Accompanying that would be a simple ammeter bypass like the so called "Mad" conversion
Catalog
or better yet, read up on the "Nacho" version
Some considerations about the charging and wiring upgrade and your worries about

 

[cbarge]

Original alternator would be 37 amps,single field and "roundback"
Your typical reman parts store alternator will have two fields and will be at least 65 amps.
The shape of this type of alternator is "squareback"
This will work on your car with the following simple mods...
I basically ground the extra field wire to the alternator housing.
To avoid any nuclear meltdowns,I run and extra 12 gauge wire from the BATT stud at the alternator with a fusible link to the BATT stud at starter relay.That takes 50% of the load away from the ammeter gauge.
Go to Autozone and get an electronic voltage regulator VR706
Pop the cover off your old regulator and swap it over the electronic one--looks stock!!
Simple,reliable,done.

 

[Davea Lux]

im looking to buy a new alternator for my 65 plymouth fury with a 318 engine.should i convert over to a different style alternator like a one wire if so whats the procedure i dont want to burn up my car electrical system.or stay with the original type.what have you guys done

John and cbarge have given you some good advice. These old style charging systems routed all of the power to and from the alternator thru the amp gauge. Over time the amp gauge would be repeatedly heated up from the current passing thru the gauge. This resulted in a lot of the amp gauges becoming "frozen" and inoperative. In severe cases the gauge could short out and start a dash fire. Good way to trash a clean car.

Up grading to a later style alternator and solid state regulator is a good idea if your plan to run any modern electronics, such as electronic ignition. Keep in mind that solid state components such as the regulator need a good ground to function properly and do not ever unhook a battery cable with the engine running as this will instantly toast your regulator.

Dave

 

[t57f100]

Original alternator would be 37 amps,single field and "roundback"
Your typical reman parts store alternator will have two fields and will be at least 65 amps.
The shape of this type of alternator is "squareback"
This will work on your car with the following simple mods...
I basically ground the extra field wire to the alternator housing.
To avoid any nuclear meltdowns,I run and extra 12 gauge wire from the BATT stud at the alternator with a fusible link to the BATT stud at starter relay.That takes 50% of the load away from the ammeter gauge.
Go to Autozone and get an electronic voltage regulator VR706
Pop the cover off your old regulator and swap it over the electronic one--looks stock!!
Simple,reliable,done.

its been said a picture is worth a thousands words is it possible to walk me thru with pictures i understand but my eyes need to see it.

 

[t57f100]

do you guys also know why when i post stuff on here its like im selling something or is it me

 

[t57f100]

 

[FURYGT]

Another less expensive option to the Autozone VR706 is to buy this voltage regulator from me.

Mopar Voltage Regulator - Electronic Solid State with Correct Restoration Look | eBay

With regards to your alternator, you can find 45 - 50 amp rebuilt alternators but they are going to be a square back style, which only requires you to ground the second field terminal as noted above to work in your car. Sometimes you can find an NOS alternator or an older rebuilt unit for a reasonable price.

Another option is to have your alternator rebuilt by a reputable shop as a lot of the remanufactured alternators out there are not high quality rebuilds. Most of the reman alternators are really repaired alternators. The failed or badly worn internal parts are replaced but anything else that looks good is not replaced.

If you are not adding any high draw electrical components and want to keep things simple get your alternator rebuilt with an output around 50 amps and get a solid state voltage regulator of some kind. The '70 & up is a great choice if you don't car about the engine compartment looking stock or if you do, you can hide it somewhere.

 

[LatPeahy]

Ammeter bypass diagram I used to do in my 65 New Yorker

 

[Big_John]

Ammeter bypass diagram I used to do in my 65 New Yorker
View attachment 174003

Actually, when you run the wire from the alternator to the battery, you've effectively "bypassed" the ammeter. I have never seen a need to disconnect the ammeter as now there is very little current running through it.

 

[Jay Gibbs]

I second the advice to have your original alternator rebuilt by good shop (along with adding an electronic voltage regulator...) I had the added bonus after a local shop rebuilt mine (and cleaned it all up like new) and found that under all the grease and gunk it was date coded 37th week of 1964, and therefore original to my car!! To think I was going to chuck the old one and buy a new (Chinese) one from RockAuto!...

J.G.

 

[Dano1973]

I've a 73 Fury with a 360 non AC car. I'd like to put Power master 95amp alternator on it. Will it be a simple plug and play? Thank you.

 

[FURYGT]

I've a 73 Fury with a 360 non AC car. I'd like to put Power master 95amp alternator on it. Will it be a simple plug and play? Thank you.

No. The wiring in your car is likely rated for a 55 amp alternator. You would need to rewire the the charge circuit and do an ammeter bypass to start with. If you put a 95 amp alternator in your car, it will have an electrical fire.

 

[Dano1973]

So much for that idea!

 

[72RoadRunnerGTX]

No. The wiring in your car is likely rated for a 55 amp alternator. You would need to rewire the the charge circuit and do an ammeter bypass to start with. If you put a 95 amp alternator in your car, it will have an electrical fire.

What? Simply swapping in a higher capacity alternator for one rated closer to stock, without any other changes to vehicle loading, will not increase any current draw through the stock charge circuit. Will not cause an electrical fire in it of itself. Will NOT require an ammeter by-pass, it's shunted in '73. The main benefit to a larger capacity alternator, with stock loading, is more available current at engine idle speeds over stock rated alts, meaning less current stress to the charge circuit components/connections at idle.
By ’73, C-body ammeters are externally shunted with all 8ga under hood charge circuit wiring stock.

 

[Dano1973]

Now I got a dilemma here. One person says if I do I'll have the big melt down.While other guy says I can. Which is it? Thank you.

 

[Big_John]

Now I got a dilemma here. One person says if I do I'll have the big melt down.While other guy says I can. Which is it? Thank you.

What @72RoadRunnerGTX said is quite true. If you haven't added anything to the car like a high draw stereo amp or electric fans, your high amp alternator isn't going to put any more strain on the stock wiring. Of course, that also means that high amp alternator is a waste of time and money because you don't need it. And yes, the ammeter is shunted in those cars.

Now, if you are adding the high amp alternator because you've added high draw accessories, which is the only reason you need a high amp alternator, then you want to look at doing some wiring upgrades like @FURYGT suggested. Done correctly, there's nothing wrong with adding larger wire, you just want to use the proper wire and fusible links etc..

So, the answer becomes a question back to you... Do you really need the higher amp alternator?

 

[72RoadRunnerGTX]

There is a lot of misinformation about this charging system out there. Here is some info I posted about the Chrysler charging system a while back, primarily focused on the non-shunted ammeter versions and load placement and other common issues. The video targets ’70 and up B&E bodies but the functionality is basically the same as the earlier C-bodies and the later shunted C-body ammeter system. Any added loads will need to go on the alternator side of the ammeter shunt wire to maintain an accurate ammeter.

Is a high output alternator needed? Most Chrysler stock applications running the original 35-60 amp alts couldn’t keep up with multiple stock loads running at the same time at idle, dimming headlights and such. Stock loads or not, I always run high output alts for this reason, upsizing wiring as needed however.

 

[Dano1973]

Thank you guys for the tips, advice.