stellar

I don't see a condenser in the french alt. Put one on the outside. That should take care of the alt noise in the radio.

Seff

I put a 2.2 µF one on the outside, screwed to the case and connected to the plus terminal. A second one was connected to the open old external regulator plus connection, which I put on first, and left there.

Neither did a change. I noticed that the one inside the old generator was .5 µF, is 2.2 too much?

Highwayman

Turn off the radio, roll down the windows, go for a drive and enjoy the tailpipe tunes. You've busted your rump on this car. Now put some kilometers on it before winter hits. The radio can wait.

Seff

I have nothing better to do in the daylight hours of the weekends. :P

oldcutlass

On the capacitors, you can go higher just not lower. What ignition wires are you running, as those can create noise also. If your running an seperate ignition coil there should one on there also.

Seff

Running HEI with the prescribed HEI wires. The noise I'm getting is not static, it's thumps and holes in the sound. Doesn't seem terribly RPM-sensitive, just sort of a constant.

White_Knuckles

The classic alternator sound is a siren like whine that is RPM varied. Static crackling can be non-resistor plugs or solid copper plug wires. Thumps, holes? I got nothin'. There are "filter" devices available that go in series with the radio power input line. You can try a hand-held AM radio tuned off-channel moving it around under the hood to see if you can spot the offending "transmitter".

Seff

I figure it's my ignition, then. Spark can jump from one wire to another if they touch, yes? Might that give me noise? I have 8mm HEI wires, and a type of spark plug of the same specs as R46SZ.

White_Knuckles

Yes, older cracked wires with broken down insulation can arc between each other or to a ground source. You sometimes can see the arcing looking at your wires at night or in a dark garage. Try spraying water on the wires with a mist bottle BEFORE testing. It often reveals the lightning storm enhancing conduction.

Oh, and probe around with an insulated stick or something while testing. Handling wires with you hands can make for shocking results. (Ask me how I know).

Seff

The wires are less than a month old. :P I'll try poking around with a handheld radio and see what happens.

oldcutlass

It's probably a bad speaker or dirty potentiometer (volume or fader control) in the radio.

Seff

Would that not mean that the noise should exist when the car is off as well?

oldcutlass

Yes if it were in the radio it will do it with the engine off.

Seff

That's my point - the noise only appears when the engine's on, follows the rpms, and consists of irregular plops, thumps and holes in the sound, not a static type of sound.