My 66 toro alternator gets pretty hot and looks, well, old. Voltage output measured at battery seems fine.

That said, I like to plan ahead for it's demise.

I've read about replacing it with a more modern internally regulated unit. But I don't quite understand what else you're supposed to change to accommodate that. I.E, do you remove the old regulator from the car? Additional wiring? Explain like I'm 5....

Thanks in advance!

 

What are the condition of your battery cables and alternator wiring? If they're degraded and worn it will cause excessive resistance which can cause components to heat up which will just make everything deteriorate faster.

To go to a single wire alternator you delete the old external voltage regulator.

 

^^x2^^

Wires, wires, wires. Old wires can significantly increase resistance which can significantly increase heat and lead to rapid deterioration of attached components.

 

While this is true, it is also true for any alternator with an internal regulator, not just the aftermarket one-wire versions. I would also caution against the one-wire version. Your car is already wired for the three wire setup, which includes a sense wire to better regulate the voltage. If you really have your heart set on an internally regulated system (and FYI, there is nothing inherently wrong with your current system if the parts are in good shape), then get a 12SI alternator from a 1986-87 Olds Custom Cruiser with the 307. ACDELCO 3342305 or REMY 20228 are both under $85 at RockAuto and will bolt directly to your existing brackets. If you care about optics, you can swap the metal fan from your current alternator to replace the plastic fan on the new one.




Wiring mods are easy. You can also buy a kit with jumpers that plug into the original harness so no mods are required.

 

I went through this recently with my 66' Toro. I considered going the route that Joe suggested above but I didn't choose it due to the fact that the 12SI alternator is capable of much more current than the original alternator. It would be wise to upgrade the factory wiring if you were to go that route. That was a bit too much fooling around for me at the time so I just went with a 63 amp 10Si out of the 76' era Toronado. The output of that one is much more in line with the original design and it's also cheap and readily available. The 63 amp output is much closer to the original 55 amp that was in mine and unlikely to damage anything.

To make it work was really straightforward. I had to re-clock the case of the alternator and re-use the original pulley, jumper the wires on the voltage regulator as shown in Joes picture above, and put a replacement connector on the alternator (I just de-pinned the original and slipped a different one on there that I got from the junkyard). You could also use that harness Joe has shown above if you don't want to fool around with the connectors. To make it a little prettier I removed the guts of the old voltage regulator and soldered the jumpers to the pads inside......this just hides the jumpers so that it doesn't look modified and is completely optional.

Anyway, a couple options there to help you out. I can show some pictures of what I did if you need anything. Hope this helps!

 

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Why not just have the one on the car serviced and rebuilt? Odds are it's been replaced at least once in 57 years anyway.

 

^^^x2

 

I re-did mine because my voltage regulator was making a horrendous buzzing noise. It was driving me nuts! The cost of a new regulator wasn't much different than the replacement alternator.

We bought that regulator new from Fusick too, wasn't more than 4-5 years old. The hassle of returning it to the USA from Canada wasn't worth it.......I just replaced the alternator and did away with the regulator as a bonus.

To the op though, it's a good suggestion to just go with what's already there. I was also able to find a replacement that worked with the factory setup quite easily and it was cheap too. As long as your voltage regulator is good you should be good to go.

 

Great info, thanks! I think I will stick with eternally-regulated after all, and keep a spare regulator in the parts box. Going to go over all of the wiring. Car is new to me, so I have to investigate everything the previous owners may have monkeyed with, and overdue maintenance items.

 

For appearance, the old DelcoRemy VR top will usually swap onto the new electronic replacement VR.

 

Glad to hear I am not the only one who does this!