Alternator Bracket Mods For 304

that looks like it would work, my brackets look just like that. Thanks

 

Tidy installation!

Presume you have not wired this yet? Don't send 150 amps to the dash through the factory ammeter. IMO the only way you can wire this safely is with a short #6 (or larger) wire directly to the solenoid, incorporating a #10 fusible link at the solenoid end. Just 3 feet of #6 wire will make 27 watts of heat at 150 amps.

 

I was wondering about that, I don't want to cause any unnecessary problems with any of my wiring. With the original alt only being 35 amps that seams like 150 amps is a lot of amps flowing around. I do have an electric winch that get used only very rarely and then only for a short self extraction. I understand that I would need to wire my new high amp alt directly to the batt and bypassing the amp gauge. With that said, during times the winch is actually operating I would think it would trigger a temporary max amp output condition for the new alternator. Could that high charge rate possibly cause any problems with the wiring, lights, gauges or other systems that might be operating at the time? Don't want to over load any thing. After all, the electrical feed for the rest of the jeep will be coming directly off of the same terminal that the charge wire is fastened to on the starter solenoid. Apology's for long post.

 

Where is your winch connected? I'd expect it to be connected with battery-cable-sized wires direct to the battery. There should be some kind of contactor in the winch to switch the current. This circuit is in parallel with the rest of the Jeep, including the alternator. The rest of the Jeep will only see a drop in voltage to the degree that the battery is drawn down by the winch and the alternator cannot keep up with the demand. Note that the drop in voltage is the feedback signal for the alternator, so the lower the voltage goes, the more current the alternator will attempt to produce.

 

Ah, that is what I was kinda thinking just wanted to make sure I was on the right track. To answer your Question, the winch batt cable goes directly to the battery post, and the winch has solenoids that direct the forward and reverse current within the winch its self. Thanks

 

My starter solenoid is on the right front fender very close it the alternator, will need a # 6 charge wire only about 18 in or so. The shorter the better. Was wondering if there would be any advantage to by passing the solenoid/battery cable connection and going directly to the positive post on the battery with the # 6 charge wire? it would have to be twice as long of a wire possibly 3 ft. I don't know if eliminating the connection and it's associated resistance at the solenoid would be of sufficient benefit to justify the longer run and heat build up of the #6 charge wire all the way to the battery post. What do you think?

 

I don't think so. The battery cable is a minimum of #4 wire, and the charge wire clamps to it with a big nut - lots of area, lots of force, should be fine. The solenoid is just a binding post in the charge circuit and has no role other than a place to anchor the wire.

 

Painless Wiring w/ fuse block. No factory wiring (none was worth saving something ate it all up). No amp gauge, switched to volt gauge. Passing through proper gauge wires where it counts, 4g, 2g and 1g fine strand copper. This alt bench test tag is 108 @ idle, 128 @ cruise, @164 Top End. I'm not sure what RPM they classify those three numbers at. But I know I'll never see top end. I went with High Amp alt because jeep will have a sound system in it. Nothing worse then when the sub hits your lights dim. I've used the exact same alternator on my YJ crawler with similar Painless, and 12k Ramsey winch, sound system, and accessories with zero issue. Of course I wouldn't go this high with factory '70s wiring with inline glass fuses or small gauge wires on the starter / charge circuits. If you have factory wires, they do make lower amp alternators, new guts, Motorola case. Motorola case = no modifications.