Oops, It's been so long since I did this I forgot one refinement. The
first bracket I made used a spacer inside the generator bracket to keep
the arms from bending when you tighten the pivot bolt since the alternator
is just pressing against the outside of the front alternator bracket arm I
welded the pivot rod into the second one to eliminate the nuts and
spacers, but found this cumbersome. The third one I tapped the alternator
end of the ong rod deeply enough so I could put a nut on the the inside of
the bracket. That's the cleanest setup.
-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Babcock
Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2002 10:30 AM
To: 'WEmery7451@aol.com'; gregmogdoc@surfnetusa.com;
jmwagner@greenheart.com; BRITPAC@aol.com
Cc: bradlnss@lightspeed.net; fot@autox.team.net
Subject: RE: Lucas high output generator
I ran an alternator for years when I drove my TR3 on the street, then
switched to total loss for racing after my friends dissed my alternator as
unecessary . Of course at one time I also ran a toyota 2TG motor and
transmission, so it's hard for me to represent myself as the voice of
tradition and purity. I intend to return to an alternator this year, I'm
going to use one of the cool little ones that Cambridge has been offering.
I'm tired of worrying about my battery. I think I can go to a smaller
sealed battery and still be fine for many starts since I'm using a super
starter.
The difference in relaibility between a lucas generator and voltage
regulator and a modern one-wire starter is almost infinite. I'm a lousy
fabricator but I managed to make a very nice and very simple bracket set
after only four or five hundred attempts. I took an old generator bracket,
trimmed away the original pivot hole, then drilled a new one through both
arms that was the size of the alternator pivot bolt. I threaded a long rod
the diameter of the pivot bolt with about 1/2" of threads on each end.
slide the rod through the front hole, put a nut on it and run it on
enough to fit the bracket and the second nut, which secures the rod to the
rear hole. There needs to be enough rod protuding from the front bracket
hole for a spacer and the alternator pivot arm and a nut. You tweak the
spacer length to get the pully into the same plane as the crank and water
pump pulley. Then you need a slightly modifed stock tension bracket to
adjust the belt tension. I also made a bracket to brace the alternator end
of the pivot bolt, but that was overkill. Making the spacer from large
diameter aluminum rod gave it enough bending resistance to keep everything
in line without a front bracket.
-----Original Message-----
From: WEmery7451@aol.com [mailto:WEmery7451@aol.com]
Sent: Monday, January 14, 2002 7:07 PM
To: gregmogdoc@surfnetusa.com; jmwagner@greenheart.com; BRITPAC@aol.com
Cc: bradlnss@lightspeed.net; fot@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Lucas high output generator
In a message dated 1/12/02 1:22:09 PM Pacific Standard Time,
gregmogdoc@surfnetusa.com writes:
<< I truly don't understand all the interest in converting a +4 or a 4/4
to an
alternator. >>
As you later mentioned in this message: Extra weight, broken brackets
between
the generator and block, broken generator face plates, and failed
generators
under racing conditions. I have raced 37 years using a generator, and I
use
to carry a bushel basket of starter motor and generator used parts to a
generator shop. They would be asked to try to get two or three of each
working.
I might have finally resolved the broken front generator face plates when
I
found an ancient corroded generator with a steel (not aluminum) face plate
on
it. After transferring this steel plate (more weight) to a working
generator, there haven't been anymore broken face plates for the last
several
years. I also went to a super starter to eliminate the weak, heavy Lucas
starter.
>From Tim Studdard's article in Grassroots Motorsports, I ordered from J.
K.
Jackson, hopefully all of the necessary parts to convert to an alternator.
If I am fortunate enough to find time to install them, my goal is to try
to
use an alternator before I have to hang up my drivers suit. J. K. is
having
some more of his special brackets made.
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