Alternator Conversion...

[Multiphonikks]

After having "bodged" (And bodged is the right word because the speakers aren't fitted anywhere and the radio is just literally sitting in the driver's glove box until I have the car's bodywork as I want it..) my radio into Hebe (complete with a rather stragne electrical curiousness where part of the car's body seems to be connected to the postive supply rather than the negitive earth...) I've been contemplating the conversion to Alternator from the standard dynamo.

With Hebe having the radio, I'm concious that I won't be able to put halogen headlamps in or a heated rear window until I've fixed some serious current to the battery.

As I'm on a tight budget (musicians don't earn much!) I'm going to try and go scrapheap rumaging for a suitable unit.

What cars can I look out for for possible donor alternators? I know the mini is a favourite (I read the article in Minor Matters! ) and I'm wondering if there are any other old BMC cars I could nab one out of... Or maybe something like a metro???

Any advice appreciated... Oh, and suggestions to pricing for the scrapyard man to be bartered down to?

Thanks!

Nikki

[Gareth]

Yup, a Metro alternator should fit, but you'll have to find an old one - pre 1991 H Reg - with the A-series engine. That'll be a 1.0 or 1.3 and probably very rusty!

You may need to source a longer bracket for the rear of the alternator because a dynamo is longer. Therefore, the Morris bracket won't fit - I don't know about the Metro one, they may have changed the block casting??

[rayofleamington]

If it's a scrapyard, don't go in looking smart! And avoid the temptation to get a lift there with your mates in a nice car..
The more poor, dirty and homeless you look, the better your bartering power. A recon cheap alternator is about £40 so try and pay much less than £10 for a scrapyard one. If you are so inclinded, it may be worth to chech the brushes and commutator on the alternator rather than buy a worn out one.
Lets face it with an alternator, you stand a bigger risk of breaking down, so no point making sure by fitting a worn out one.... ;-)

[Multiphonikks]

Last time I went to the local scrapyard they were eyeing up Hebe... Apparently she was "very shiney" and "well looked after"... There goes the baggy clothes...

[Alec]

Hello Multi,
the best bet is an A series engined car as you can also get the rear bracket which will bolt onto your Minor block. Incidentally Halogen headlamp conversions are the same wattage as the sealed beam units so require no more current than standard, that is unless you are looking for high wattage lamps which I believe are illegal anyway.
Alec

[Gareth]

My sealed beams were 50/40w... my halogens are 60/55w, so there is a difference. Possibly later sealed beam units were 60w &c. but the ones I took off Phyllis were much lower. I don't know if they were the original, or old-stock, or just plain wrong, but there was a difference.

However, I've run them for a while now with no problems - I even ran the heater, wipers, halogens and radio just off the dynamo. I wasn't crawling through traffic every day though. I fitted the auxiliary lamps (useless but look good... ) and then decided to fit an alternator.

[Alec]

Hello Gareth,
As far as I remember, 60\55 watt was the standard rating for 7" headlamps, my old Mk2 Jaguar had 60\55 watt bulbs, i.e. before these new fangled sealed beams.
I personally prefer the alternator route, but a dynamo, in good order, is acceptable for general motoring, especially if a battery charger is used to restore the charge lost if the system has been overloaded thus the car was drawing from battery reserve. (Helps to have a high capacity battery)
Alec

[Multiphonikks]

Thanks everyone...
So I'm heading to the scrappy some time in the next few weeks. Although the conversion will probably not happen till I'm out of hospital (so the end of August)

Nikki