Generator or alternator?

Guys give me some advice.

I would like to use a generator, but I have never used one before.
What I would like to know is, are there any problems to look out for.
I will keep this rod all Mopar ,,,Desoto engine ,Mopar drive train and Dodge chassis.
I assume that generators are pretty reliable,,I would like to find out if any special care needs to be taken.
How about rain showers with out a hood over it,,,Sparks?
Thanks guys.

Tommy

 

Longest drive might be to Myrtle Beach (500 miles).
I don't plan on very much electric stuff.
Just a radio maybe and the usual stuff,,like lights,,LOL!
I plan on using a mag for ignition,,so it won't have to worry with that.
Just starting the engine and keep the lights burning is all.

Tommy

 

VW used generators up to mid 1973....then switched to alt for cost savings...less copper



Some generators run a brush cover, but I am not sure if they have cooling vents on the back cover. VW used a plastic snap-in cover on the top of the generator to keep water out.

 

Traditional = gen

EZ way out = alt

My car has a generator!

2cents

 

From what I have seen in the past,,,I figure a good rebuilt generator should last for 100,000 miles,,,right?
At least the armature should last that long,,brushes might need to be replaced sooner and the arm touched up?
That will be more than I can put on it.

Tommy

 

If you use a wire kit you'll have to modify it to work with the gen..

 

My vote ,Generator !

 

Im running a genny on my truck. I love it. This is the first vehicle i've owned with a generator, it acts no different than a car with an alternator. My truck is a bare bones rod, it has lights and a elec. fuel pump running constant. The POS battery cable is over 10feet long. I have never had a problem to date with charging.

One thing to do is make sure you have a 12v generator and regulator, and that every thing is wired correctly. When i first put mine togeather i toasted my generator and regulator. Totally my fault, i wired it wrong sending all the juice directly to a ground. DUH. Then i took it in to my elec guy. Turns out it was a 6v anyway. $150 later and i had a totally rebuilt generator and he fine tuned my regulator.

Not to mention the cool factor of a generator sticking out of that open engine bay

 

If astetics are imortant a genny is the way to go especially if your spending the money to keep everything traditional as little kid in the 80s my dad did alot of mechanical work for a guy who did resorations and he used many generators with little to no problems.

 

One thing to note ;some Generators used a bushing in the brush end. This had a oil cup on it ,you have to oil it every 1000 miles or so to keep it living. Generators work fine as long as you have normal old car style loads. Add A/C and a big amp and you got troubles or air compressors for bags.

 

If you have to ask use the alternator. Generators are just for the people who know them.

 

If you go with a Generator,make sure you also use a QUALITY Voltage Regulator!
That will make or break your Gen.
I had mine re-built last November for $130 and I'm real happy with it.
Found a shop that does the work "in house" and they back their work.

 

It seems to me that you have already made up your mind. The generator will work fine as long as you use it as it was intended to be used.

 

Or you can use one of them there generators with an alternator hidden inside of it real sneaky like and fool the whole world.

 

John pretty well nailed it. A generator will work fine if you don't have a lot of extra electrical power robbing things on the vehicle.

Lights and radio without any extra amp and no bags, it will work fine but if it craps out on the road you might have to figure out how to hook up an alternator to get you back to where you can repair or replace the generator.

If you run a but kicking amp with serious speakers or run bags with a compressor you are a lot better off to run the proper alternator.

There are only two genuine possible problems with a generator. 1. It may not put out enough power to keep with the demands of the accessories on the vehicle. 2. If it fails on the road it may be close to impossible to come up with a replacement generator on short notice or have it repaired or get repair parts on short notice. Otherwise, no problem.

On the 48 I'll run a 100+ amp alternator because the truck will have some creature comforts so for once in 40 years my wife can have a bit of comfort on the long hauls in the truck. Her mom and sisters are in Texas and we are in Washington state. Figure ac and a decent sound system plus decent halogen headlights. Still the alteranator and compressor won't be blatantly visable.

The little flathead six powered roadster will get a generator because I have one for it and it doesn't really need anything more. Plus it won't be a reacher and I won't have to worry about getting stuck all that far away from home.

You have to remember that before about 1960 every car and truck ran a generator. even after alternators came out some brands ran generators for several years and I believe on Fords the alternator was an option until at least the mid 60's.

It's like any other part on the car. If it is in top shape to begin with and you take care of it and maintain it and don't abuse it, it should give good service without any issues.

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I hate them things...so cheesy! I was brought up being taught that generators were always better than alternators...the only reason for the change was to save money...plus....gens looks better!

 

I'm runnig a GM Gen. on my Hemi. Got all rebuilt stuff and it works fine..

 

To me it depends on the load you're gonna put on the electrical system AND how it's gonna be driven also.
Example: Back in '66 a dirt track was built nearby and ultimately became the main interest of most of the hot rodders around here, including me.
On Sat. afternoons they opened for practice sessions, racing on Sun. afternoon. On Sat. spectators and racers all gathered in the pits.
I drove down one Sat. afternoon and watched from the pits and socialized with the crowd, most of whom I knew. Soon someone asked me why I wasn't building a car, and I also found that in these informal practice sessions the track looked the other way if you made a few laps in your street car.
I was driving a '53 Studebaker with a serious 327 SBC under the hood, and on the track I went.
The track was an almost flat quarter miler and in later times with a full on racer it required a final drive ratio in the high 7s or low 8s to get max acceleration off the tight turns.
The Stude was geared for top end and I wound up in first gear in the 4 speed all the way around! Turning some serious rpm and actually making some good lap times!
But I looked down as I came off the track and the gauges showed elevated temp and no charge from generator! Not boiling, just elevated temp.
Raising the hood, I found that the armature had slung itself apart and the segmented pieces where the brushes run had come apart and wiped out most all of that end of the geneerator, and the fan belt had turned itself inside out! One of the then new Dayco belts with the heavy mass to the outside cured the belt problem, but it took an alternator to stop slinging generators apart.
For me form follows function, so anything I've built since has an alternator.
Dave

 

DeS291Hemi, just my two cents. You are keeping the Hemi in the '55 DeSoto & want to keep things original, if I understand correctly.

If you clearly know this is your conscious goal, I'm with the guys who say stay with the GENERATOR. Since you have the last 6-V DeS, seems to me changing to an alternator would probably entail chanigng the system to 12-V.

I still have my '55 DeSoto, and it's still 6-V & with the Gen. I drove it everywhere, including out of state & even took my bride on our honeymoon in it.

I think the Generator crowd hit the key points. Get yours rebuild by an EXPERIENCED guy who'll stand behind his work, so you don't run into a breakdown FAR from a replacement generator. Remember to put a drop or two oil in that cup now & then, and don't over-tighten your generator belt.

My '55 is a Fireflite. My dad drove his '55 Firedome a hundred miles a workday for about 10 years. He kept new brushes on hand & occasionally replaced the worn ones where they'd just worn down rubbing on the armature.

Though we didn't have as many electrical gadgets to run, we never got caught of of juice because of a generator fault. About the only drawback I can see with a generator is that it takes longer to charge the battery back up if it's down for osme reason. Under normal conditions, though, they work just fine.

 

The average hotrod, not a street rod, can perform famously with a good generator system.

Contrary to popular belief people did go on trips with generators and were able to return without rebuilding them in route. So much of this is just fear of the unknown. The best cure is to learn. It is not rocket science. They are very simple and most can be rebuilt in the average garage. You may need a buddy with a lathe to turn the commutator if it is badly worn or scored but in most cases a quick polishing is all that is necessary. If it looks too bad find another one in better shape to rebuild.

Don't let all the Chicken little's scare you into thinking that they are unreliable. That comes from people that have never run one or from guys that slap on junk yard parts and bitch when that junk yard generator dies after performing flawlessly for over 80K. Alternators break too. An alternator almost burnt my truck down once but I don't bad mouth alternators for that reason. I don't bad mouth alternators except to say that they are an eyesore on a nostalgic hotrod engine.

I wish that I could find a generator and all the brackets for an FE Ford. I feel guilty for using an alternator. I still have time left.

Once you learn a little, the myths disappear and the satisfaction is fun or you can pull out your credit card and order a 1 wire alternator.

Only you can make that decision just make sure you base your decision on facts and not often repeated myths on message boards.

 

did go on trips with generators and were able to return

That's not the problem. The problem is going between gin mills in traffic with the lights and the stereo on until late, and coming out to a dead battery.

 

early generators were 3 brush design. low output, no regulator just a cut out so at low speeds the battery would not try to make it a motor. As I understant it they had a small winding to dampen or counteract the main winding so as to not over charge at high speeds. The one in my 22 T speedster would not keep up with the lights and ignition system I was using. I have reworked a 60 ford PU 12 V generator, just need new brushes . The T is a gear drive... On another project I mixed up pieces using the original 36 pontiac front and the rest from a 50's chevy 6 volt truck generator to get away from the 3 brush system. most generators use 1/2 shafts a a lot of cases are the same size so mixing and matching isn't too hard. as stated if you get a lot of rpm's you can explode the armature. corvetts used different pullies than stocker chevies to keep the gen rpm with in operating speeds

 

If you are out driving while bar hopping, (nobody ever did that in the 50s) then I hope you do get a dead battery but that's a different subject.

It never happened to me in my misspent youth but I did not drink then. I was hopping from drive in restaurant to drive in restaurant. We'd go from Mighty Mo to a Tops to another Mighty Mo many times a night with the old current eating AM tube type monaural radios blaring Motown or the beach Boys while waiting for my Orange freeze. Sorry but that's just plain bullshit! Another scare tactic.

 

changing the pulley on generater would help that problem if youre going to drive it at hi rpms. most generaters are not designed for more than about 4000 rpm max as with anything if it isnt designed properly it will fail

 

TimoThale, sounds like generators were well thought out, engineering-wise. Probably could have developed advanced versions that were more flexible to situations. But, obviously, Detroit moved toward lighter, space-saving alternators, instead.

I think this is one of those cases where BOTH charging units had pros & cons, so it's pointless to debate which is "better." (Kind of like asking a mom WHICH of her kids she liked the best.)

The determinant here seems to be a guy's personal PREFERENCE (looks-wise, etc.). Good thread!

 

Aside from the recovery rate being slower with a generator, (alternator recharges the battery faster), mechanical performance is identical. . All generators don't have sealed bearings but those are oiled frequently externally, with other prevent-maintenance. Rain comes in thruoght the radiator anyhow, gen/alternator get wet.
I have had more cars without alternator than with. I have only converted from gen to alt for practical purposed, it sometimes costs more to repair/maintain a generator system than alternator.
Same/same.

 

I hope you do get a dead battery but that's a different subject.

That's so funny! Remind me exactly where I said I had anything alcoholic to drink...? But, of course, that's why everyone comes here: to find fault someone else's personal behavior.

The "pros and cons"?
For there to be a pro and con you have to decide whether functional parts of a car must have as their most important priority taking a good photograph.
If not, there is no "pro" for a generator any more than there is for solid rubber tires, cable-pull brakes, or window glass in your windshield.

 

I would use a early mopar alteranator on your setup , dont get much better looking

 

Well I say run both-First if you a traveling man like I am and a gen goes down on you on the road your close to screwed as to finding a replacement or parts or repairs. I say use the gen and then on trips change it to a one wire alt. There easy to bolt on and can use the same brackets with spacer as a rule in most cases. Make up what you need and put it in the trunk if you got one or behind the seat. Worked for me.

 

The only worry that has been brought to my mind is the high rpm issue,,,I do like to run an engine up there from time to time!
If I used an underdrive crank pulley, would that reduce the rpm to a safe limit?
From what I have read here,,Generators seem perfectly reliable to use for many miles.
I don't see why they should break down for no reason if they are built correctly to start with, and maintained.

I like to use older things, because they seem to work good to me. I always use cable drive tachs because I like the old way of doing things. I would really like to use a gen because I think they are cool,,,and different!

By the way,,in my first post,,,this old Desoto Hemi is going into a Dodge hot rod with Mopar 4 speed and an 8 3/4 rear end.
I don't have the chassis yet,,,just gathering parts and ideas,, and working on the engine.
My plan is to use a 34 or about there year,,,,any ideas?

This will be a regular rod,,no air bags ,no amped up sound system,,,just the radio ,lights and the starter.
Keep the ideas coming.

Tommy