Alternator: best choice for a Series 1

Hi,

That’s very important. Also a good idea to keep the battery charged, as otherwise with a seriously over the original (4.2 = Lucas AC11) alternator current could really stress out the wiring. I have always replaced the alternator wires on all my old cars, although I have left the rest of the original wiring (except in the XJ6C where the complete engine bay harness was replaced with a new one, as everything came out anyways and it was bit tacky) in all my cars and have not had any charging issues with the 1966 S1 4.2 2+2, 1972 S3 5.2 OTS nor the 1975 XJ6C. The Butec in the V12 had one solder give up in 2014, but that was just resoldered and it’s been perfect ever since.

In the 1995 F car (456GT) I have not had the issue, but I have read and heard that people have screwed up and overheated the Nippondenso alternator because they have started with an empty battery and the system could not take the long high current of completely charging an empty 75Ah-85 Ah battery with the alternator only!

So I use a trickle charger on all batteries when the cars are not in active use. The only electrical issues I am facing some trouble with is on the MKV where ALL wiring has been replaced with two kinds of black and white wires by someone in the mid-1970’s. :frowning: YMMV.

Cheers!

Terry, I am coming to understand that Delco Remy alternators are 17mm in the shaft and so are Denso. CJ’s offers a 17mm duplex pulley. I believe the 15mm pulley you have is from the generator? A smaller I.D. can be opened up though. The Lucas AC11 as Pekka talks about has a 19mm shaft. No need for you to remove yours, just wondered if you knew. Be nice to see a pic of your installation though.
North Carolina is a small state, but it is very long. I live in the far west, in Franklin, in the Smokys. Shelby is 130 miles from here and Bills is 340 miles away! It’s 125 miles to Atlanta and there is a good shop there. Mostly though, I go on-line.
Pekka what you say about the potential to stress the E’s wiring is a concern but a fairly rare event I should think. Either the alternator fails and outputs full current, the battery is discharged, or there is a direct short somewhere. I will run a second, parallel, wire to the battery and I will most likely put a fusible link in the two wires feeding the battery.
At the moment, I am still waiting for a price from England. Hopefully soon and I can wrap this up.

FWIW my 11AC alternator on the shelf has a 15MM shaft. My Lucas Elektric has a 19mm shaft. If you go to ebay motors and search 12 volt 60 amp +/- alternators you will find 100s of choices. Just select one that matches your mount style, that is how I found my replacements. The Lucas I have I believe is no longer available? I do have another clone an exact copy with no name that I paid about $60. Both have built-in regulators with replacements available. They are all generic.
Glenn

Hi Scot I checked the shaft on my original 68 lucas alt and it is 15 mm. Both pulleys on my DR alts were opened from 15 to 17 mm. Maybe later lucas alts have 17 mm shafts?

Pix of Lucas and DR alternators. The DR is not a CS130 but is the same size, and mounting. The mounting foot for the DR is 2" wide, 3/8 bolt, Lucas is 2 1/16" 3/8" bolt so you need a 1/16" washer to space it properly. The mount for the steady bracket can only be positioned 180 degrees from the mount so you need a longer bracket.

The advantage of using DR is that you can fix or replace it anywhere in N.A. on very short notice - if you like to drive your car.

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Pictures of the CS130 installed showing the plug you need to wire to a switched 12V source to energize it. The plug would be available at any parts store I suspect.


All good stuff Glenn and Terry. You both agree the Lucas 11AC has a 15mm shaft and then Glenn has a later Lucas that is 19mm (which is what CJ’s tell me a Lucas is). And seems there is agreement the Delco Remy has a 17mm shaft. And by my notes (and CJ’s) the Denso also has a 17mm shaft. That is convenient. Thanks for the input. The pictures are great Terry!
Glenn my starting point is that I have no bracket nor the original generator so I may as well make the most suitable choice I can. And that thought led to a myriad of alternators and configurations. Even so, I have a much improved understanding of what’s available and what is suitable.
Today was spent waiting - again - on alternator folks but not in vain. I got spark at all plugs under cranking power and I got my temporary 1-gallon fuel system secured, fused, and switched. If it doesn’t rain tomorrow, I may roll it out and see if I have fire!

On my S1 4.2 the Lucas alternator had a 19mm shaft whilst the Nippon Denso alternator had a 17mm shaft. I used a piece of 19mm tubing, 1mm thick, to act as a spacer to allow the stock pulley to fit.

The Denso #19630-64013 (used on John Deere tractors amongst other things) is 60A hot output and self regulating.

I bought a Chevvy unit from E Bay, brand new, chromed for under a 100, changed the pulley and made a new top adjuster bracket… charges really well…it was a doddle to do this, and get rid of the old lump that was there…not working so well… I did make a heat shield however as I thought the headers may radiate an unfriendly wire melting death heat ray…LOL… and then the smoke would escape… cor blimey…

Hey Jagart, that’s funny! And a good job as well. I’ve read up on the differences between the Delco CS130 and the 10Si and 12Si. The CS130 is newer, smaller, not as electronically noisy and not as mechanically noisy…all things GM wanted to fix since putting the first 10Si on a Corvette in '61 or so. And there is a CS130 version that fits a 1990 full size truck (Chevy, GMC) and it has the upper ear clocked similar to what Lucas did and the connector terminals are at the 11 O’clock position - away from the manifolds and easier to connect to the wiring, and it has the external metal fan that I like… About $80.
David I have read all of your threads and those that take off on them. You’ve a very sanitary installation. My hat is off to you.

I have never heard peep from the MD of WOSP who promised Wilkinson that he’d call me direct. I am moving on now.

Good thinkin,’ Sparky.

:grimacing:

As a wrap-up on this thread, I’ll post a pic or two of the final installation. I’ll also create a new thread without all the digressions to make it easy for others to see the solution quickly. I’ll link that thread to this one.
But the bottom line is I chose a made-in-USA NOS Delco CS130 that produces 85 amps and that has a spool mount and an adjustment ear at the 10 O’clock position and the plug at the 2 O’clock position. I bought the Series 1 E-type block adapter from SNGB to mount it (this is not the same mount as used on the Series 2). For future cost and ease of replacement, I swapped out the duplex crank and water pump pulleys on my 3.8 engine with 3.4L pulleys that have single a V-groove (also from SNGB).

I modified an adjusting bracket I had from a 1972 Bonneville 455; it had the “S” shape but I welded up the slot a bit and notched it to clear the alternator when at full adjustment. It is simple and sturdy.






I’ll post the link to the new thread in a few days showing why I made these choices.

Oh yes, notice the green belt. That’s a secret weapon. Made by Gates, it is a FleetRunner belt. Compared to a standard belt it is full size (13mm vs 12mm), more flexible (less heat) and longer lasting as well as stronger and stretches less. What’s not to love! About $27 vs. $15.

Thank you to all of your who helped me with this project.

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The belt……It’s only expensive if it doesn’t last 1.8 times the cheaper one :rofl::rofl:

We’ll actually it fits better too. The standard belt is narrower and fits further down the pulley. And it is 43-7/8” long. The green belt is wider and is truly 43-1/2” long. It gives me more adjustment. But time will tell.

Here is the follow-on thread for this project. I consolidated the information into one separate thread for the convenience of those searching for an alternator solution for the 3.8 E-types

beauty of a job … for SURE. Congrats.

The CS-130 RULES…best choice…

Tho for the application on an E any alternator will work…but not on a sailboat in Panama.

THE CS-130 Rules

Thanks Jagart. I’ve a bit more tidying up on the electric connections at the alternator, but so far everything is working as it should.

The CS-130 is a good choice and is affordable and readily repairable. But the Nippon Denso alternators are too. Both of these in the USA. In Europe, perhaps the Lucas is the best choice. IMO.
As to working on the sailboat in Panama…I’ve done that! Albeit a long time ago. :slight_smile:

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Nippon Denso…always looking for something better.
The 10si and 12si and “criminal” balmar…simply put…they melt…turn them up…they melt faster. You can smell them burning. For 20 years replaced stator, rectifyer, triodia.
But, some 15 years ago…while in Jacksonville Florida a shop made us 2 cs-130’s…not cheap (they are now) and it did not burn up for some 5 years…astounding.
30 years in the tropics of Panama…
So, if you honestly KNOW the Denso is superior…I am all in. What part number?
Thanks Mitch

I don’t know that Mitch. I didn’t like the way the N-D looked so I didn’t pursue it. I did have confidence in the CS-130 that was a significant Delco improvement over what preceded it: the Si10 and Si12. So I picked on that and sought out the right configuration (there are lots).