Volt meter vs. amp meter & 1 wire alternators

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Originally Posted by mjhcobra

Ron Francis said no way on the amp meter-my assumption is that the rest of the harness makers agree due to the gauge not being able to register more than a 50 amp charge. Seems stupid unless I use a 50 amp alternator, which again will not work. Final decision - 100 to 125 amp alternator with volt meter.

Still trying to decide on the single wire vs external regulator - any pros or cons????????

my 2 cars are both 65 Mustangs,street car and a race car, I use a volt gauge on both with the "old style" Ford alternator converted to a one-wire unit......Simple $40.00 conversion, takes about 1 minute and you only have one wire from the alternator to the battery side of the starter seloniod,clean and simple....the way I like it, simple is always better for me....

Personal prefrence is a volt gauge, accurately tells you what your alternator is doing or not doing...I don't worry about the amps, just make sure your alternator is not overloaded amp wise.....I would add up all the amp useage your car could pull at any given time and use an alternator that can supply that + 40%........if your total amp useage would be 40 amps you should have a 56 amp alternator, a standard 60 amp Ford unit would be sufficent......

I run a standard 60 amp old style Ford unit on both car and never have had any problems......idle speed, volt meter shows 12 volts, 1,000 to 1,500 rpms or more, volt meter shows between 13 and 14 volts...

David