generator -> alternator conversion on a 1966 Volvo 122s

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lollipop - 11 Jan 2006 15:16 GMT

I put a new car stereo into my 1996 Volvo, but now I need an
appropriate alternator to drive the stereo. Does anyone have any
recommendations on a good conversion kit? I saw this one mentioned in
past postings, http://sw-em.com/altkit.htm, and it seems to be a good
match. If people recommend this kit, then my follow up question is,
where online should I go to pick up an AC Delco alternator? The car
stereo requires 70amps from the battery so I would assume that I need
the same output from the alternator as well? Any help on what features
to look for in an alternator would be appreciated as well.

thanks for the help,

Jesse Hathaway

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Mike F - 12 Jan 2006 14:21 GMT

> I put a new car stereo into my 1996 Volvo, but now I need an
> appropriate alternator to drive the stereo. Does anyone have any
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> Jesse Hathaway

I suggest you find the alternator bracket from a 140 (or 69- 122) in a
junkyard (err, recycling yard).

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Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)

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David Balfour - 12 Jan 2006 14:25 GMT

> The car stereo requires 70amps from the battery

Surely not?

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lollipop - 12 Jan 2006 18:35 GMT

The person who helped spec out the stereo for me said that I would need
a battery with at least 70 cold cranking amps, does this sound
unreasonable?

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Gary Heston - 13 Jan 2006 05:12 GMT

>The person who helped spec out the stereo for me said that I would need
>a battery with at least 70 cold cranking amps, does this sound
>unreasonable?

Sounds tiny; car batteries are rated at 400 or more CCAs. Generally,
electronic equipment requires a steady curent flow rated in amp-hours,
or AH. Not the same thing as CCAs, that's a rating for a short, high
current surge.

The staff at an auto parts store will have the AH ratings for the batteries
they sell. They can probably look up alternator ratings; something for a
mid-'70s Cadilac or Lincoln would probably be good. Get one that has a
built-in regulator.

Gary

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Gary Heston gheston@hiwaay.net I don't need an iPod, I have an IQ.

A worthwhile endeavour:
http://www.thebrestcancersite.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/CTDSites

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Timewarp - 18 Jan 2006 16:40 GMT

Hi. One thought...... Most cars with dynamos were positive earth,
the positive of the battery connected to chassis (frame).
Alternators are usually negative earth.
You will need to check this out or there will be problems.
All sorts of things on the vehicle may need to be changed.
Has it got electronic ignition? Clock?

Clive.

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Lloyd Wells - 18 Jan 2006 23:05 GMT

> Hi. One thought...... Most cars with dynamos were positive earth,
> the positive of the battery connected to chassis (frame).
> Alternators are usually negative earth.
> You will need to check this out or there will be problems.
> All sorts of things on the vehicle may need to be changed.
> Has it got electronic ignition? Clock?

The only car I ever had w/ positive ground was my old 1959 Austin-Healy.
I've never seen a Volvo w/ positive ground at least since the B-16 122. I
put an alternator in a '66 122 w/ a B-20 engine. It was a while ago but I
think all I did was grab everything out of a 144 and slapped it in - worked
like a charm.

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