Charging system

[57 imposter]

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

[clusterbuster]

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.

[Zapato]

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-

Someone please educate me on this set-up that makes it so SPECIAL .

[RICH MUISE]

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.

[hiball3985]

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.

[clusterbuster]

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.

[hiball3985]

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.

[clusterbuster]

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.