Voltage Regulators

[Philthytoo]

Looking at Voltage regulators for my 40C. Local Napa store says all he can get are 3-wire regulators, mine is a 4-wire. Other store in town says he can order a 4-wire, for $96 bucks. The parts for sale here says they cost about $40 bucks. Has this just not been updated, or is the guy here way out of line?
Thanks,
Phil Rennegarbe, Inyokern, Ca.

[fixedforever]

Take the voltage regulator and generator off and throw them in the garbage. Then put a one wire alternator on it.

[Ray III]

Have you tried taking the regulator apart to see if it just needs adjustment?

[Philthytoo]

Had it apart, cleaned (filed) the points, checked continuity through the coils (all seems OK). Found a new one for $55 bucks and ordered it, they say it will be here in a couple of days. Thought about the one-wire alternator switch, but then I'm out the cost of a coil (12-volt), new battery, alternator ($125 bucks everywhere I've checked), and then it's not original. Might be a little slow, but I've always figured that if 6-volt worked then it should work now!

[Pistonman]

I just got a new GM 10si alternator and converted it to 6 volt. $100

[Philthytoo]

There's a guy on e-bay with a store advertising a 4-wire, 6-volt, positive ground regulator for 30 bucks, with shipping to my area for $13 more. Does anybody out there know what the Delco part number for the stock regfulator is?

[Philthytoo]

Where did you find the alternator and conversion parts? The best price I can find for the lowest-amp one-wire is about $150, then I'd have to pick-up the conversion parts. I'd thought about something like that, but I might end up putting the crawler up for sale, so I was thinking I'd try to keep it original.

[Lavoy]

My price is correct, his is likely correct too, it depends on what brand he is selling, etc.
If you are goind to convert to 12 volts, be sure to put some cash aside to buy a ring gear, starter drive, and/or a starter nose cone, you will need one sooner or later.
Lavoy

[Ray III]

The tab holding the spring for the points that control field current needs to be bent until voltage is 6.75 or so with the engine running. It's not just a matter of making sure you have continuity through the coils and closed points.

I would start by attaching a wire from the battery to field (F) terminal on the generator, with a voltmeter on the armature (A) terminal to make sure the generator works.

Ignore the alternator comments, the generator works very well. You just can't fix it if you don't know anything about it.

[Pistonman]

I would have stayed with a generator, but mine was not rebuildable- the rear mounting lug had been broken off, and the insides were smoked.
I did not want to spend $200 for a new one. I get all my electrics from a local place called DC Engineering. A part of Romaine auto electric.
I got the 6 volt parts for less than $10 to convert it. It is now a one wire 6V neg ground alternator, 35 amps.

[Philthytoo]

My first inclination is to stay with the original stuff. I've got a couple old Motor's repair manuals from the 40's and 50's that I've been looking through to find trouble shooting steps to isolate the problem. Compounding things is that the motor doesn't want to start, just spits back up the air filter. It's got compression, and when I check timing it looks like the points weren't opening. Just starting to get into it, seems like a couple things went south at once.