Alternator question ?

[michel schryer]

What type and brand of alternator should i run with my stock carbureted 302. I will run a mech.pump with basic electrical stuff,no a/c,no heater,no sound system just the melody of my side pipes. Any suggestions on how much amperage i should go with. D&D Cobra is coming in less than 2 weeks,very pumped. Thanks guys!

Michel

[DAVID GAGNARD]

A standard 60 amp Ford alternator should be just fine for your needs.......you will not have that much electrical draw, even with everything electrical running.............

David

[undy]

If you have an electric engine coolant fan I'd bump it up 10 or 20 amps. Remember, the 60 amps is not at idle. A lot of 60 amp alts only put out 15 to 20 amps at idle. In some cases that's not enough to power the engine fan and the rest. You'll end up with a voltage drop which will cause other problems.

If you've a pulley driven fan then 60 amps is a no brainer..

Dave

[bobcowan]

I use a stock 60A unti from Autozone. It's inexpensive, doesn't weigh much, and has a lifetime warrenty. I don't have any problems at idle.

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Originally Posted by bobcowan

I use a stock 60A unti from Autozone. It's inexpensive, doesn't weigh much, and has a lifetime warrenty. I don't have any problems at idle.

Exactly what I have on both the race car and street car....Street car altr. is about 12 years old now, on sale for 19.99 at the time, race car altr. is 3 or 4 years old now, not on sale, had to pay all of 29.99 for it......Have not had any problems with either....

On my street car I have an electric radiator fan and do at least two 45 to 60 minute parades every year, including the Forth of July (100 degree heat), the only thing I do before hand is make sure the battery is fully charged, so far, in 10 years NO problems..........

David

[undy]

I had a 60 amp alternator originally and at idle w/ fan and electric fuel pump running my output would drop to <11 volts. I went with a new 120 amp single wire (same physical size) alternator (with upgraded supportive wiring) and my voltage runs 14 volts at idle with everything running. A large % of my old cooling problems stemmed from a low fan voltage at idle (when I needed it the most) which resulted in a much slower fan speed and a big drop in CFMs. Just my experiance though..

Dave

[wrench87]

undy are you running a serp belt or a v belt?, the reason i am asking i bought a 95 amp 3g alternator and will be running a single groove pulley and a v belt om my 445 fe stroker but i have heard that that with anything over 100 amps there is a chance the belt will slip?. any thoughts something about not enought friction?.

[undy]

Originally Posted by wrench87

undy are you running a serp belt or a v belt?, the reason i am asking i bought a 95 amp 3g alternator and will be running a single groove pulley and a v belt om my 445 fe stroker but i have heard that that with anything over 100 amps there is a chance the belt will slip?. any thoughts something about not enought friction?.

V-belt ... no belt slip to my knowledge.. The belt's not wearing prematurely anyway.

Dave

[Clois Harlan]

I will jump in here and say that I have been running a stock 60 amp alternator from NAPA for 8 years and I have never had a problem with lights, fuel pump, fans, or MSD ign at idle or any other speed. One word of caution, if you are thinking about going with a GM single wire alternator because they are cheaper beware you will have some alighnment and mounting issues. Nothing to difficult but it will require some mods.


Clois

[slithering]

With most high amperage alternators, you have to maintain a minimum RPMs to activate the charging cycle. Unless you have a high draw cooling fan, a 60 should be fine.