Totally Auto Alternator

[kawahonda]

Totally Auto is totally rad. Look at their bang-up job on my alternator. I had them do the amp upgrade.

[6Pack70]

Very nice!   Want one 

[Katfish]

 Nice, what is the amp upgrade?

[kawahonda]

I don't remember. I tend to think it was only 20% more.

[anlauto]

I thought I read in MCG that Totally Auto was closing it's doors or a major downsizing or something ?

I didn't even know they did alternators, but that one looks nice 

[Chryco Psycho]

Nice job 
You may want to do the ammeter bypass at the minimum or do a jumper from the alt to the start relay as the whole circuit is not rated above 60 amps max 

[kawahonda]

What was factory rating of amps?

He assured me nothing is needed. I told him I run points and he said no prob.

I don't remember the numbers but the amperage increase seemed small. Let's say it was 48, his increase was like 54. It wasn't much, but enough to run accessories without worry. Do I need to perform mods now?

Chryco, I'll be removing my air horn next and doing the carb tube as you suggested next.

Fired it up an hour ago and the alternator is finally stock quiet again.

[Chryco Psycho]

60 amps is max , cannot hurt to run a bypass on any car .

[kawahonda]

I'll reach out and ask him on FB and report back.

[Chryco Psycho]

Unless there is a problem an alt rarely runs at max output anyway , But you run at night with the wipers , heater , Highbeams & stereo blasting you don;t want to cause a problem , a bypass is simple insurance , , using relays for the headlights will also help

[Strawdawg]

Long term experience has taught many, including myself, that the factory wiring was inadequate for the stock alternators and that after years of usage, either the contacts in the bulkhead connector would burn and become a high resistance point, or the wires going to the ammeter would overheat one too many times and eventually ignite.

I strongly suggest using a jumper straight from the alternator to the starter relay to alleviate the problem even with stock amperage alternators.

If you take your meter and start measuring voltages going into the bulkhead connector and compare them to what is coming back out, you might be surprised at the drop.  Or, if you just want to see it visually, disconnect the connector and examine the contacts.

[js27]

I thought I read in MCG that Totally Auto was closing it's doors or a major downsizing or something ?

I didn't even know they did alternators, but that one looks nice 

Yes I too read he moved into a smaller shop and cut back on his work load. I dealt with him in the early 90's when I was restoring my 67 GTX and was not a happy camper at all. I will leave it at that.
JS27

[kawahonda]

I'm a noob when it comes to electricals. Can you guys show me a photo of what this looks like?

[Chryco Psycho]

 don't have a photo here but it is very simple just add a  10 ga wire from the alt output along the valve cover , across the firewall & forward by the brake booster to the start relay , you can hide it in or along the factory harnesses

[kawahonda]

Thanks! That’s easy enough to remember. Just an additional wire to help with the load?

I made the stupid ass mistake of not disconnecting my battery before removing my alternator.

My radio is dead. All lights work, car seems to start as long as charger is plugged in, but smart battery charger says battery is in 25-50% range after two days of charging. I now have it hooked up to my big-boy charger at 2 amps. I could switch it to 10 amps, but I’m not in a hurry.

Radio fuse looks just fine. Does the radio require a 100% battery to operate? If not, did I break it?

Battery is not even a year old. Bought from Mopar. I may take it back for a replacement if I can’t get the smart charger to move higher...I paid good money for it!

I popped off battery caps and fluid was pretty full.

There’s a reason why manuals says to disconnect battery before starting any work. This is completely my bad, but I’m unsure why radio is dead as a door nail. While everything else seems to work, even on a weak battery.