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[stu’s68furyiiirat]

Thanks. You can click REMOVE at lower right corner of post to remove your Like/Thanks/Agree or Disagree.

I just now seen that thanks so when I bypass amp meter do I tie both big wire together and run one from starter relay to hot side of ammeter 8 ga or 10 ga wire

 

[1970FuryConv]

I just now seen that thanks so when I bypass amp meter do I tie both big wire together and run one from starter relay to hot side of ammeter 8 ga or 10 ga wire

If your ammeter is a problem, yes, tie the big wires behind it together.
I ran a 2nd 10 gauge wire from alternator output to starter relay battery terminal, so charge can run directly to the battery.
You then have 2 black charge wires coming off alternator output.
If you don't tie the wires behind the ammeter together, your ammeter will show discharge when charging system is not really discharging the battery.

 

[Missourati]

Alright sorry for the delay. I got a nice clamp multimeter and read the amps going through the now spliced ammeter wires. On accessory it draws about 7 amps, with brights and hazards it draws nearly 23 amps and gets the bypassed ammeter wire hot. With engine idling its in the high teens. With engine at speed it spikes to around 35 amps. At speed it gets super hot but no smoking like before. The max amperage for a 12 gauge wire is 20 so I'm either running an 8 gauge wire through the harness or finding some way to sap the alternator output to the battery or both. My question is was the car always like this or has something gone horribly wrong? The harness wires are intact so no shorts I can think of. 23 amps through 12 gauge wire with the car off is insane to me. Anything else I'm missing?

 

[stu’s68furyiiirat]

If your ammeter is a problem, yes, tie the big wires behind it together.
I ran a 2nd 10 gauge wire from alternator output to starter relay battery terminal, so charge can run directly to the battery.
You then have 2 black charge wires coming off alternator output.
If you don't tie the wires behind the ammeter together, your ammeter will show discharge when charging system is not really discharging the battery.

Does it mean that my ammeter is toast

 

[1970FuryConv]

Does it mean that my ammeter is toast

View attachment 675384

*It could mean that the ammeter is bad.
*BUT: Firewall connectors for power output from alternator commonly go bad on their own. I would drill a hole in the firewall, use a rubber grommet in the hole, then run alternator output wire thru the grommet. That way you bypass the firewall connector resistance/deterioration.
*Bypassing the ammeter also and installing a voltmeter for ignition-on charge would complete that part of the job.
*I would still run parallel wire: alternator output stud to battery connector at starter relay.
That finishes the job until you test the voltage. Should be 135V to 15V at battery, depending on state of charge of the battery and number of accessories in use.

 

[1970FuryConv]

It has an alternator. The only thing I can think of is I'm 99% sure it's got a new(er) alternator that puts out 60 amps and as per my service manual, the original was for 35-40 amps. The weird thing is I used to drive it all the time and it would smoke from time to time but never like this, maybe the corrosion over the years made it worse. I took off the alternator yesterday to see how many amps it put out but parts store said they couldn't test it if it's externally regulated. So I'll try to use a multimeter to find out. Barring anything else I guess I'd want to try the trick of using a thick wire from the alternator to the battery(?) to take the burden off the thinner wires but am unfamiliar.

Alright sorry for the delay. I got a nice clamp multimeter and read the amps going through the now spliced ammeter wires. On accessory it draws about 7 amps, with brights and hazards it draws nearly 23 amps and gets the bypassed ammeter wire hot. With engine idling its in the high teens. With engine at speed it spikes to around 35 amps. At speed it gets super hot but no smoking like before. The max amperage for a 12 gauge wire is 20 so I'm either running an 8 gauge wire through the harness or finding some way to sap the alternator output to the battery or both. My question is was the car always like this or has something gone horribly wrong? The harness wires are intact so no shorts I can think of. 23 amps through 12 gauge wire with the car off is insane to me. Anything else I'm missing?

Hi Missouri
Your amperage output is higher than stock. You have a 60 amp alternator, so at speed the alternator is going to output more amps than stock 30 amp or 35 amp alternators. Your voltage regulator is regulating voltage, which is the electrical force pushing those amps. That is not the same as amps. The voltage regulator cannot reduce your 60 amp alternator output to stock output. I wouldn't do it, but you can put a larger pulley on an alternator to reduce output.

On the plus side, Rick Ehrenberg wrote that 60 amp alternators is the max size that a stock wiring harness can handle.
But he recommends the following alteration: Run parallel alternator output wire: alternator output stud to battery connector at starter relay. I used a 10 gauge wire with 60 amp alternator on 1970 Plymouth Fury. That eliminated a host of charging problems.

Voltage regulators: mechanical voltage regulators have a host of problems. You can buy single wire electronic voltage regulators for your 1961 Dodge. You can also convert to the later flat pack 2-wire voltage regulators. Flat pack is great particularly if It has a Mopar label.

@halifaxhops is a fantastic source for electrical parts. I recommend you PM him.