Pyoor_Kate wrote:It must be said, it was a nightmare; but then so was having my car struggle to start with a flat battery (or not start at all, even off the handle) after my housemate drove; and me having to switch the headlamps off every time I was sat in traffic.
I would like a much higher output alternator; if this one ever fails I will I think, research the possibilities for fitting something with somewhat more powerful alternator.
I've never had much luck with them though; my Golf used to eat one every year.... (some intermittent fault somewhere, I think, but I never could find it).
Yeah... after sitting in traffic on Wednesday night on the M4 on my way to Bristol and watching the charge slowly go from 13.5 to 11.8 and then turning the heater off to keep the battery nice I did wonder about getting a higher powered one too.
The idea (when I finally take Hebe off the road and restore her) is to put a decent sound system in - nothing too big, but certainly a CD player and the old mp3 jukebox I have which will take a fair bit of juice. I'd also like to put an alarm on (just because if I'm going to rebuild hebe and make her nice and new-like I don't want somone running away with her...)
[url=http://www.aminorjourney.co.uk/wordpress/]A Minor Journey[/url] A neogreen musician, her girlfriend and a cast of thousands!
Keep track of the restoration with the live webcam!
I have a 75amp Lucas one from a V8 landrover and I should check to see if it would fit if i remember correctl, something funny happens like the fan runs in reverse (which given that it will not be working like a slave should not matter.) when fitted to 4cylinder cars. I bought this one at an autojumble before I lost my temper and just got my local auto electrical place (Haynes in Wallingford) to fit the biggest they could (130amp), which was surprisingyl reasonable at about £180.
BTW I did the Alternator conversion on Mirium on Friday. I have to say that the bull motif kit was really very good. I took a load of digital photographs so if anyone is interested I'll post them here ..
Cam wrote:You should not need a massive alternator anyway! 75 amps is total overkill for a moggy! But what will do a lot will do a little..........
All you need is for the unit to start charging at lower revs which can be improved by fitting a smaller pulley.
No not on a moggie
I assume 200 watts odd of lighting. 15 odd Amps.
A Radio pulling 10 amps (thats a bit high really)
Windscreen wipers another 10 amps
Heater fan 10 amps ? (It always made the lights go very dim if run)
A 45Amp standard Landrover one would work fine.
If I could get a heated windscreen for a moggie then I would do some serious mods to make it work
Just out of interest.
I think the radio is probably about 3-4 amps max
agree on the lighting about 15 odd amps
Coil about 4 amps
Windscreen wiper about 5 amps
Heater about 3-4 amps.
Could be way out on those figures, but I'm going off my old Mini where I worked it out thanks to the monster stereo system I fitted.
So like you say a standard 45 amp Landrover one would work fine. So would a Fiesta 35 amp one too!
You CAN get a heated windscreen for a Moggie !! Talk to Morris Minor Centre (Birmingham). Beats scraping ice with a credit card, although you do need the card to pay for the screen....
So which cars (apart from Mini's - which are getting a bit thin on the ground in scrapyards) can donate an alternator to a Moggy without any serious modifications to mounting points etc.
I fitted Mini alternators to my last two Mogs so I know about the rewiring, bracket etc.
Older and more confused than I could ever imagine possible.
Metro, Maestro.... anything with an A-series. Oh and some Fords I believe, but I have not tried it myself. Just going off what others have said in the past........
Cam wrote:I think that was advertised on the back of the recent issue of Minor Matters.
Bit OTT methinks!
You think a heat windscreen is OTT ? I had heated windscreen on a rental Mondeo a few years ago ... AMAZING .. £170 later I had one on the landrover. Certainly beats my present windscreen clearing device, One morris minor heater with Socks in all outlets except the Drivers and passengers windscreen ones. And the passenger side clears first !!
The only thing OTT is the current it consumes. I had one on a Mondeo for 4 years. They are Marvellous on frosty mornings. Turn them on and within a little while all the ice on the windscreen slides down in one sheet!
The only drawback might be that if you focus on the windscreen you can see the filaments (element?). But focus on the road (generally a good idea) and they disappear from view.
Furthermore (he says tounge in cheek) how can someone with a 1340 engine in a moggie say that a heated screen is OTT
Ah but in Cams defence its still an `A` series engine, whereas a heated front screen is...........
Hmm, fair enough I'll concede that one (smacks back of hand). Funnily enough I dreamt last night that some people used Ford brakes and Spax Tele's in Minors. I woke up in a cold sweat, Fortunately it was only a dream.....
I don't think Cam was serious (or perhaps he's a secret tooth sucker )
In all seriousness I couldn't live without mine on the landrover. The landrover tends to get a bit damp inside and when it rains it's horrible inside. The heater is like the Moggie but without the refinement. Add to this the fact that last winter I had to drive to and from Munich four times. Yes you do have to get an uprated alternator to run the thing and yes it uses fuel. No I couldn't live without it.
Heated seats are next
However the seeing the elements thing is true, and it's more obvious in fog (which is helpfull!).
However another advantage is that in the summer when it rains, you don't have to turn on the heater to clear the screen!
woo wrote:
Quote:
You think a heated windscreen is OTT ?
The only thing OTT is the current it consumes. I had one on a Mondeo for 4 years. They are Marvellous on frosty mornings. Turn them on and within a little while all the ice on the windscreen slides down in one sheet!
The only drawback might be that if you focus on the windscreen you can see the filaments (element?). But focus on the road (generally a good idea) and they disappear from view.
Furthermore (he says tounge in cheek) how can someone with a 1340 engine in a moggie say that a heated screen is OTT
Funnily enough I dreamt last night that some people used Ford brakes and Spax Tele's in Minors. I woke up in a cold sweat, Fortunately it was only a dream.....
And Ford rear axles and Sierra gearboxes..................
Websites: 
