Today I changed the charging system over from the generator to a 100 amp alternator. Bought the conversion on Ebay and it really was a breeze to wire up and install. It maintains the function of the dash idiot light, and I like that. It bolts easily to the original brackets with a supplied bracket and bolt. Checked the out put and she's charging like a dandy.
by any chance do u remember the name that u got it from, thanks jerry
Yes Jerry. I got it from Becker Antique Auto Electric Norwalk,Ohio.(phone-419-668-5986) It cost $140.00 plus $15.00 shipping. Basically when you do the wiring, your original voltage regulator just acts as a junction box for the wiring. The instructions are very detailed and good pictures with them. It takes a bit to figure it out though. If you get one and need any help or advice, you can contact me via email, or on this site. Thanks Don
I added the Becker one to mine about a year ago and it works great. It previously had one of the crappy one wire GM one it and they had removed the voltage regulator. I just ran a new wire from were the idiot light was connected to the regulator over to the alternator and one short heavy gauge wire from the alternator to the positive side of the solenoid, very simple and being able to use the original generator brackets make it nice.
thjis becker antique electric must be out of business, even emailing the sons business down in SC, they don't answer emails
They still have one on Ebay listed. http://www.ebay.com/itm/251528667813
You have to bid on the alternator on Ebay, so I waited till the last couple of minutes before it ended to bid. No one bid against me and I got it for $140.00. I see someone is bidding on it now. There is another company that is selling them on Ebay as well, but the alternator only puts out sixty some amps. They charge around $35.00 more, I believe, for the high output. Becker is the best value if you get it for $140-$150. Their wiring hookup is slick.
That is a very neat deal Clusterbuster.
I use a PowerGen on all my cars,a bit more spendy,I still like the look of a generator case with Alt. guts.Been using them in all my cars and will use one in the 57.
Never had any problems with them.
I got mine on Ebay, they use to list them frequently and I would bid $140 and a few times get outbid, finally I got one when nobody else bid on it.
will someone tell me what the advantage is to changing the electrical system from a gen to a altenator?, thanks jerry
Unless you have a great big sound system, not much of an advantage if any. I've never had a problem with the generator on any of my cars that a $10.00 set of new brushes didn't cure.
Alternator puts out a much better amperage to the battery, eliminates the need for an external voltage regulator, as the alternator has a built in regulator. It eliminates headlight dim and flare up at idle to rev up, allows you to add on halogen headlights which take more out of the battery, and is charging just as much at idle as it is when spinning a high rev. Suppose there a a few more things that I have forgotten.
Want to add electric wipers and stereo to my car, Not a big sound system just something hidden, Was concerned the Gen wouldn't run everything????
I've run 150 miles in the rain with the lights on, the heater blower on, electric wipers, and the radio on, all this with the original Ford 30 AMP gen.
I had enough generators and voltage regulators go bad back when running the 50"s cars. I'll take an alternator any day !
Quote from: clusterbuster on 2014-05-19 20:52
I had enough generators and voltage regulators go bad back when running the 50"s cars. I'll take an alternator any day !
I'm with you on this one. I run 140 amp alternators on both of my cars. I used to think that 80 amps was big enough but with air cond. electric wipers, stereo, cruise, etc. my volt meter would always keep dropping but once I realized the size of alt. being supplied on new cars, I went up to the 140Amp. Volt meter sits almost dead still on 13.5 to 14 volts no matter how many devices I am runnins
For anyone running the Becker alternator conversion, I contacted them recently inquiring about what kind of car their alternator comes from for the 57 Ford application. I wanted to know in case I would venture far from home and the alternator quit. I figured I could pick up an alternator at Auto Zone or somewhere and replace it with their bracket. They informed me that they custom make that alternator in their shop, and that I would never find one. Thought that would be useful information to put out.
Be interesting to haul that alternator to a repair shop and see if indeed its as Becker says. That in itself would be reason enough not to use one. If it fails away from home what will you do ? Cars don't always break down in your driveway as we all know.
Zap- :unitedstates:
Someone please educate me on this set-up that makes it so SPECIAL .
I'm curious if the Becker system is the one that is an alternator that looks like a generator. If it is that would sure explain the custom manufacturing, and reason enough to go that route for some.
Rich, it's not the one that looks like a generator, it looks like an alternator.
Like anything, it has it's good and bad. I haven't seen any posts on the truck or Yblock forums of any failures that I could find. I carry a GM one wire with me as a back up that came on mine originally when I got the car. But you can have a generator go out also when you are away from home, sometimes you can roadside repair them and sometimes not. The last time I had a generator go out on my truck I made it home on just the battery, it was a little over 100 miles and everything turned off except the ignition.
Sounds like a good idea to have a one wire alternator in the trunk as a spare. They are cheaper than the Becker, and a good back up.
Quote from: clusterbuster on 2014-05-23 16:11
Sounds like a good idea to have a one wire alternator in the trunk as a spare. They are cheaper than the Becker, and a good back up.
I have no problem using a generator and regulator but they had already been removed when I got the car. It came with the one wire unit but I didn't like the way it mounted or not having the gen light work so it ended up just being the spare. The Becker has been on there for over a year now with no problems yet.
I just never liked the generators, although they were fairly reliable. One Friday night while stationed at Aberdeen Proving Grounds while in the US Army, I left the base on a weekend pass just after dark. I was seventeen years old and had a 1954 Mercury 2 door hardtop which I pulled the original engine out and built me a 57 Mercury 312 and put it in. I got about five miles up the road and the lights went dead. I drifted off the road right in front of a small garage and the dad and son were in there working that night. We pushed it in the garage and lo and behold the generator was shot. I was shocked to learn they had a new one in stock and in no time father and son had it installed to my 312, and I was off to home. Never forgot how that worked out. If I remember right, it cost me around $50.00 or less installed.