EVERYONE needs to do this

[67ChevyRedneck]

Sick and tired of charging and electrical problems with your truck? Well, maybe it's time to upgrade you're old school external voltage regulator with a new internally regulated alternator.

Here's the FAQ that Toddtheodd did. I was afraid to do this at first, but the instructions and pictures made it so easy I couldn't resist.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=119379

My truck has been having some MAJOR problems with charging and running correctly, so the poor girl hadn't been driven for a week. It was only charging from 9-11 volts while running. Not good. I decided to swap a clean, uncut, in excellent shape underhood wiring harness out of a '72 truck.

DO NOT drive your truck if you harness looks as bad as mine did!! How my truck didn't burn up is beyond me! Never really noticed it until this weekend.

Also, the seal that goes between the plug in and the wall is very important, in the second pic you can see all the dirt that got in my box because the seal was gone. I was able to clean the connections off with a small screwdriver, some electronic cleaning spray, and some compressed air.

I ran the "new" underhood harness and the only thing I had to do was swap the front turnsignal plug-ins for the ones off my '67 harness. (The plugs are different.)

The last pic is the new harness plugged in.

[67ChevyRedneck]

The alternator swap was simple. I just followed the directions in the FAQ and if I wasn't rewiring the harness it wouldn't have taken more than an hour, at the most. Someone with "skills" could do the swap in about 30 minutes.

I also got an extra fuse block for the cab so I could plug my multiple accessories and HEI into it. This greatly cleaned up the area under my floor. I finally have no more wires running everywhere!

The alternator set me back about $90. That's without the core charge (they let me exchanged my old alt), I spent about $10 on fuses and wiring, $20 on a decent volt meter and I highly recommend getting one, they're fun to play with! and the fuse block was a freebie, so I had about $120 into the swap.

[67ChevyRedneck]

With my new harness I finally got one of the junction boxes for the battery. No more multiple leads going into my battery cable

The truck now charges 14.6 volts at the battery while running

I never did figure out what my actual problem was. I tried 3 different external regulators, I cleaned all the grounds, and I had advance test my alternator while on the truck, and once again before I exchanged it and it tested good both times, so what my actual problem was.... I just don't know

But I now have 13.6 volts at the gage! The gage is off a hair, the voltmeter showed 13.6 at the fuse block.

[67ChevyRedneck]

Thanks to all who have tried to help me with this stupid problem!

I also finished the wiring to the fog lights. I had gotten them working, but had to unhook them because I didn't have space for them in the fuse box and I didn't have the battery junction box yet, but they work GREAT! I drove with them on last night and they are absolutely awesome.

Thanks everyone!

[LockDoc]

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Glad you got that baby figured out. My best guess on the problem would be the firewall connector. I don't know how anything worked as bad as that looks...

LockDoc

[corn]

Originally Posted by 67ChevyRedneck

With my new harness I finally got one of the junction boxes for the battery. No more multiple leads going into my battery cable

The truck now charges 14.6 volts at the battery while running

I never did figure out what my actual problem was. I tried 3 different external regulators, I cleaned all the grounds, and I had advance test my alternator while on the truck, and once again before I exchanged it and it tested good both times, so what my actual problem was.... I just don't know

But I now have 13.6 volts at the gage! The gage is off a hair, the voltmeter showed 13.6 at the fuse block.

Where did you get the battery terminals with the quick disconnect at? Thats a good quick fix for a vehicle that sits a lot.

[special-K]

Hey,how`d the alternator getover there? LOL

[jerry moss]

i did the internally regulated alternator several months ago and it works great. like you, i tried several new external regulators and a few alternators but always had problems with my headlights flickering at idle. now they stay bright at all engine rpm's. it's really a simple swap and well worth the time.

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by LockDoc

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Glad you got that baby figured out. My best guess on the problem would be the firewall connector. I don't know how anything worked as bad as that looks...

LockDoc

I can't believe I didn't notice it before. It's just "one of those things" I guess

Originally Posted by cornfed63

Where did you get the battery terminals with the quick disconnect at? Thats a good quick fix for a vehicle that sits a lot.

Advance Auto has them. They work nice. Just remember to coat the screw thingy with wd40 or some oil 'cause the little boogers rust.

Originally Posted by special-K

Hey,how`d the alternator getover there? LOL

I wish it wasn't, but I have a late 70s/early 80's 350 in the truck. But looking at the FAQ and what I have, the alternator should work for the brackets on both sides. I need to get a set of long water pump style brackets for the DS as I'll be adding a vintage air kit... someday

[19673ontree]

funny ? the 60's charging system on GM vehicle's is one thing I have never in 25 year's had one single problem with , those type alternator's with the voltage regulator inside have gave me a lot of problem's , I had several 1980's GM truck's and that's what they had , it was just one after another ,
one other thing I noticed was the newer one's seem to pull more and you have to have the belt very very tight where as the 60's stock one's will charge perfectly with a good boot string loosly wrapped around them ,, I am gonna stay with the stock on my 67 truck and my 67 camaro till I have trouble that is (FINGER'S CROSSED)

[special-K]

I figured as much .I stole mine off an`88 6.2 Suburban I had here and it had the same mounts as the rh altermators.So I got big amps now.

[joescott]

Hey guys
Will the same alternator fit on a 67 six cylinder?

Joe

[67ChevyRedneck]

Good question.... it's been so long since I had the six popper in the truck... I really don't remember.

The alternator is off a mid 80's silverado with the mounting points in the 6 and noon position (across from each other). You could take yours to the parts store and compare the two??? I don't see why the General would make different alternators for straight sixes and V-8's... but I've been wrong many times before

[ckhd]

The only times I have ever had problems with external regulators is when they are not AC Delco regulators. My '68 still has the original regulator in it (not the original alt), and I have absolutely no problems whatsoever.

[19673ontree]

six cylinder use's the same alternator it's even the same part# as for a small block ,,

[67ChevyRedneck]

Sorry fellas. I wasn't trying to knock people with the voltage regulators. I've read so many people complain about electrical and wiring problems on here (check out the electrical board) that this seems to be a great solution and eliminates a possible cause of failure.

Also, I believe the alternators put out more amps to power all the crap we add to our trucks. In my case it would be HEI, fog lights, Stereo, Stereo amp., and aftermarket gages. My truck just wasn't meant to have that many accesories.

[VetteVet]

Why not just go a step farther.
http://www.chevelles.com/techref/tecref14.html

[67ChevyRedneck]

Isn't that article what I did??? Or are they talking about a "one wire" conversion. I was a little confused reading it. I asked about those, they were $30 more at Advance Auto.

[mnunn454]

I'm in the middle of my interior upgrade.

This weekend I:
Got the 3-point seatbelts mounted/installed;
Got the back wall (where the gas tank was) trimmed a little more for the 12" subs;
Got the power antenna installed up through the no longer needed gas cap and all wires run and connected;
Ran the additional 8-gage B+ wire from the solenoid's battery connection to the Painless 18 Circuit fuse panel.

Even had time to cook a couple of steaks on the barbie.

[rage'nrat638]

been there done that...great FAQ
click the index in my signature..theres ton's of kool tricks

thank KRUE for putting them all together

thank's to the fellow board members for there time to make them..