i have a 1966 f100 i did an engine swap to a 302 ,i have re wired the whole truck with the easy wire harness, i want to use a single wire altenator . has any of you guy done this is it a goood idea or not ,and if so how do i go about the wireing with out the stock regulator...

 

I don't like them because if they go bad, what are you going to do, wait and order another through the mail?

They also have this tricky regulator, that needs to be triggered somehow to bring the alternator online to charge. The alternator needs to be taken offline when the engine is off, or it will run down the battery. The factory uses a little wire going to the keyswitch. Of course we can't have more than one wire, so they have a special regulator that senses the drop in voltage when you are cranking the engine, or it doesn't come on at all till you rev the engine up.

What I usually do is run one of the older GM alternators with the internal regulator. You only need two wires on that one. One larger one to charge the battery, and one small one to go to the keyswitch to trigger it. The other small wire just runs down to the large terminal on the alternator. Another thing I like about these alternators is they are cheap at the store.

If you are making a show truck and don't want a bunch of wires, by all means get a one-wire. If it's because you are scared of wires or don't understand the original setup, that's not a very good excuse to run one. The external regulated alternators are good units.

 

The alt I'm buying says its for a gm and also said it has an internal regulator, and as far as the truck I'm going for the street rod look but it's going to be my daily drive just want to keep it as clean as possible

 

There's a 'how to' in the FTE 'article' forum but have not read it so not sure if it would be of any help???

One Wire Delco alternator Installation In A Classic Ford Truck .: Articles

 

Thank you Dave , you always come through with very good advice , and knowledge, you have saved me on more the one project

 

Sometimes I just get lucky, good to hear the info is helpful!!

 

i would suggest using the 3g alternator from a mid-90s ford taurus. identical mounting as your original, higher output, and really simple wiring. only needs one small wire plus the charging lead to run away from it (voltage sense wire can go directly to output stud)