Morris Minor Owners Club

Does any one have a spare alternator and bracket so that my glorious moggy can have a sound track to it's drive ?

i am looking to fit a modern stereo in the machine and apparently need to change the old set up .

I have been l king in scrap yards (old mini parts) but have so far been unsusessful. i know that you can buy kits for approx £80 but thought that some one might have a spare.

I am willing to make payment and meet the costs of any postage .

Do you really need to upgrade to an alternator? I would have thought that the dynamo was enough to power an in car stereo unless you're planning to fit a megawatt system!
I have a period 1960's Philips radio (valves and transistors) in my saloon which I'm sure takes more power than a modern unit. In fact the ammeter needle registers a discharge when I switch it on without the engine running. The dynamo is more than adequate for this.
Why not just change to negative earth?


On the subject of radio, will we all have to be thinking of installing digital now in readiness for when "steam" radio is phased out?

ohh is it that simple? trust me to think that it would be far more complicated.
however i do want to put a cd player in and a couple of fairly loud speakers as my car is noisey especially with the top down.

hummn......... confused I now am as to what to do?

Maybe some of our more electrically/electronically inclined boffins could advise further.

It all depends on what you want the system to do. Just some reasonably loud tunes from either radio, tape or CD or do you want to bounce down the road with ear-protectors on??

If you decide on the system, then we can advise on the electrical power generation to meet it's needs.

Fitting a Modern Stereo

You'll have to make the switch to negative earth, but that's not difficult. Then, the cheapest option is to fit the stereo. If the battery dies regularly, then you'll need to upgrade the charging system. If it doesn't, then all is well.

That's what I did, and I was running a Sony 4x50w stereo (but only 2 speakers...). I had my stereo fitted for about a year before I upgraded to an alternator. I had no problems with charging, but wanted a bit more 'piece of mind' for winter when I was using the lights, wipers, heater and the stereo! There again, I do most of my driving on backroads at 50mph. In traffic, it probably wouldn't have coped.

Digital Radio

All the units are far too expensive at the moment, IMO. The benefits are more stations, and no interference. Allegedly.I have my doubts that they would be totally interference-free - especially considering the quality of the electrical system in a Morris. There shouldn't be any crackles &c in the quality, but what they don't tell you is that if the signal is interrupted, that you will lose sound altogether... I'd put up with crackles over silence, any day!

You'd probably need another ariel, although some are now able to use the existing one, but like digital telly - will it be good enough? I doubt it...

Coverage for digital radio is good - better than digital telly - but there are areas where there is no signal. It might crackle, but at least FM is available over 97% of the UK.

Anyway, that's my 2p worth... Well, maybe sixpence .

Not that I really know what I'm on about for Alternator conversions, but if you are trolling in scrapyards, maybe Metros would be better than Minis.
Either way, make sure the wiring mods are done thoroughly and check the alternator regulator works! The regulators seem to fail quite frequently and then they will overcharge the battery - Leaving you needing a new battery and a recon alternator.
A remanufactured/exchange Dynamo is only £25 ish and will last 30 to 40 years, so I'm happy to charge the battery half way through winter when I do a lot of short journeys (in the dark) with everything turned on. The flip side is I know the dynamo is a very reliable unit, whereas I've been left up smelly creek without a paddle due to a failed alternator.

As Cam said, it depends how much current your stereo uses, and many stereos will be OK without an alternator.

i think i will need to put in an alternator as my machine is likely to ned wipers, stereo, lights and heater all going at the same time in the cold winter climate we suffer up here in the north.

the search continues

MoggyGalore, doing the alternator is the right way by the sounds of it. I used to commute in a 1098 traveller around the M25, at night in the rain, with the heater and radio on 80 miles round trip. With the traffic being so bad, my battery would not make the week. thank god I had a starting handle. The problem is that the dynamo does charge at low revs, so for me just didnt charge.

I dont do the same journey, but now have an alternator, never had trouble. The alternator is not as servicable or as reliable, but will save you getting a flat battery. Which can be very annoying.

The problem is that the dynamo does [NOT] charge at low revs, so for me just didnt charge

Not sure if they get traffic like the M6 or M25 up in the north! ;-)
Endless hours of queues with all the electrics on will drain the battery. When I had a 1 hour crawling commute twice a day the battery would last half way through winter before it got charged (although it often got a good run at the weekends). If the battery is on its last legs it will not last as long.

I still try and avoid alternators - They have let me down a couple of times, and it is frustrating + costly to have a wrecked battery caused by a faulty alternator.

If you spend hours in trafffic jams every day with the lights and heater on then I'd concede that it is worthwhile to consider an alternator. For you more average driving... each to his/her own.