Alternator Question

[agro1]

So I installed a new alternator in my SPF over the weekend. Picked up a Powermaster which was basically identical to my previous as far as the hookup and wires are concerned. It is a 60/40 amp alternator. The "tag" read 71/45 (highway speed/idle).
My question is this: Is the alternator not powerful enough ?? At startup and idle the ammeter guage is jumping around a bit in the positive but will stop moving around if I give it a little gas and smooth the idle out. It reads in the positive which the last one did as well. But, at night when I turn the lights on they are quite dim but brighten up substantially when I rev the motor or start driving. Is this normal ?? Thanks in advance.

Also, when I first installed it and started the motor up, I touched the alternator with my bare hand and it gave me a little shock...I checked all the connections and the ground wire and everything was fine and when I touched it again there was no shock, everything seemed fine. Any thoughts ???

[Roscoe]

Agro1,
Is your amp gauge able to handle the high amp output?
Do you have a relay on the lights?
Do you have a good ground on the alt?
Did you give Powermaster a call?
Roscoe

[agro1]

Roscoe - all good questions, but I would think that that amperage alt would not be too much for my car ?? No idea about the relay on my lights and the ground is good...I'll have to give Powermaster a call.

[Bill Wells]

check your ground wire from the voltage regulator. some of these cars, earlier ones especially, had the volt reg grounded to itself, ie, ground wire to a screw that attached the volt reg into the f'glass . if so, re-run the ground wire to the engine or the frame and most, if not all, of your needle wiggling will go away. also, needle will go to positive side for a short time immediately after start up and then should go down to 'zero' or close to it. some wiggling of needle and dimness as described is not uncommon below 1000 , on mine at 850-900. yet at 1000 rpms + it is fine. bill.