I replaced the generator with an alternator when the generator's rear
bearing went. The bearing seized and spun in the housing which would
have required me to source a new (or repro) housing or find a complete
replacement. Doesn't seem like a big deal now, but at the time there
were several other considerations: My generator was mounted on a
Fairlane bracket, which placed it about 3/4 of an inch further forward
than stock. This, of course, was matched by appropriate pulleys on the
crank and water pump, but the result of that was that the crank pulley
buzzed holes in the steering rack tube. So I managed to get a hold of a
properly spaced crank pulley from a fellow Tiger owner, bought a variety
of water pump pulleys (different diameters and spacings) from the local
Pick-Your-Part, and then built my own alternator bracket for an
internally regulated Toyota alternator - a type that I knew was highly
reliable and was easy to wire to. And yes, the charge light still works.
The 55 amp alternator is more efficient, lighter, and smaller than the
30 amp generator it replaces, and I was able to mount it closer to the
engine block so as to reduce the belt length and the weight of the
bracketry required. Five little benefits... It's up to the individual to
decide if that's enough to warrant the replacement. If you're concerned
about stock appearance, then you can use the alt-in-a-generator-can
solution that was also just referred to. Assuming they didn't build the
case out of steel, it will still offer the same benefits. I have lots of
other stuff to do on my Tiger right now, but I'm looking again to find
an alternator that is short enough to mount in front of the right side
head (with standard pulley setup) so that I can make the arrangement
more compact than it is now. Putting it in front of the left head is
easier because it's staggered rearward almost exactly the right amount,
but there's a lot of other hardware already on that side.
Theo
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