Would there be any issues in upgrading an alternator to a higher amperage? My 1977 Delta 88 currently has (I believe) a 63 amp alternator since the car has A/C and other power accessories. It does not have the rear electric window defogger option. I'm not sure if the alternator has ever been replaced or rebuilt but am currently considering doing so very soon. I was thinking of upgrading to the K97 80 amp version since it was an option when the car was built. Would there be any benefits to an upgrade or should I just rebuild what I have?

 

Unless there is an issue with the 63 amp output which there shouldn't be, I would not upgrade. If problems are present with the existing 63 amp altery not being able to produce its full rated output I would have that one rebuilt at an independent electrical shop.

 

It will be heavier and suck more power. Rebuild your original.

 

Unless you have added extra features like a 110 volt converter like I have in my work truck, or a rockin' stereo like I have in my personal truck you will probably never max out your existing alternator. But there is no reason not to upgrade. Keep in mind though that the factory charging lead may be a limiting factor. Most vehicles have a 10 gauge charging lead which will only carry 30 amps continuously for a distance of 6 feet. It rolls off slowly but that is the reality of most charging systems. If you absolutely NEED that 80 amp alternator to sleep well at night, run a second charging lead parallel to the factory one and you should be fine.

 

I was leaning toward rebuilding the original anyways. I was just curious to see if there were any real benefits to upgrading to a higher amperage. I'm not sure if my original has ever been touched since leaving the factory. I've driven at night a couple of times and noticed that the headlights seem a little dimmer every so often. I've replaced all 4 headlights and it still does it.

 

In the unlikely event the alternator max output was exceeded for a short period of time everything would still work in the car, it would just be relying on the reserve capacity of the battery. When the high load decreases the alternator will refill the reserve capacity. This happens every time we start our vehicle and the start pulls 150 or more amps.

As we've mentioned the upgrade is only needed if some large current draw accessories have been added to the car. The engineers that designed the car factored in the 63 amp output and it has worked well for 47 years

 

For the headlights being dim, clean brighten and tighten every electrical connection you can access especially the often forgotten grounds. A cheap easy upgrade would be to add a few ground braided straps.

 

Some of the headlight connectors do look a little crusty/corroded. I'll clean the connections, but probably still have the alternator rebuilt. I'd hate to get stuck somewhere on the road while coming back from a show or cruise because a 47-year old part was about to quit working.

 

 

Pretty sure the 80 amp alternator mounts different. You may want to look into that.

 

Agree withe maintenance rebuild on the alternator...doing the same on my 13 year old 200K mile long distance tow vehicle. It is going to a specific electric shop in central NJ.