Hi,
I am still chasing the 56 F100 close to where I live but the PO is a bit reluctantat.
In anticipation of becoming the NO, I bought the 1948/56 Ford Truck CD with lots of illustrations and part numbers. Great reading.

When I came to the electrical I was stunned. In the 1956 electricals there was an alternator shown! Went on but could not find a rectifier unit, except that one is listed in the text part.

To the best of my knowledge, hi power diodes did not exist in 1956, and the silicon semiconductors that did exist where mostly lopower transistors .

Can anybody enlighten me how the alternator threephase current was rectified?

In Europe, Bosch introduced alternator with built in silicone rectifiers but external relay-type voltage control in 1963.

All info appreciated!

Best regards

Ola

 

Silicon diodes, apparently. I have a Motor Manual that covers up to '62, and it has an entire section devoted to Delco, Autolite, Chrysler, and Leece-Neville alternators, all showing silicon diodes.

 

Thanks, and I have been trying quite hard to find som background info on typical 30-60A/100V silicon diodes from 1956, but no luck at all.
IR has a nice Company History write up year by year and lists typical 1A diodes from 1960. As late as 1965 they were also heavily involved with selenium rectifiers!

I found this on Wikipedia, for whatever it may be worth:
Alternators were first introduced by the Chrysler Corporation on the Valiant in 1960, several years ahead of Ford and GM.

So, being intrested in this subject, does anybody have a schematic, exploded view or photo of the early Ford alternator ( 1956 acc to the partsbook)

Best regards

Ola

 

There's an exploded view on pg. 310 of the Parts CD, I couldn't find any schematics online. Note the exploded view seems to show only 3 diodes? Not full-wave rectified?

 

So what did Ford use the alternator on in 1956, what application? Big truck? My earliest knowledge of Ford's alternator came in the 1963 T birds. Up till then, the birds used a generator.

 

I have seen pictures of a 1936 Ford ton and a half truck with an original 6V alternator. Apparently it was an option, mostly used for bus use. The rectifier bolted to the driver side head and was almost as big as a flathead head is wide from top to bottom.

 

Usually if you needed more electricity you got an American Bosch high output special service generator and regulator. These come up occasionally on e-bay. The only ones I have ever seen sell are the ones I bought.

 

In my powerplant work, I swear I have seen some kind of rectifying bridge that didn't rely on semiconductors, used in a plant built in the '40's. It was used to get DC for the main generator's exciter.

I wonder if the Parts CD is showing an alternator that superceded generators for replacements on '56's?

 

Before the advent of the silicone diodes there were a number of different technologies for hi-current ( 1 A and up to kAmps) rectification. Vacuum tube diodes, selenium rectifiers and mercury vapor rectifiers among others.
I have seen and worked with all of these, and it was a quantum leap when the silicone diodes took over!
38 cpe the info on the 6V alternator with presumably selenium rectifiers from the thirties was really interesting! What a monster.
Ross, as regards the parts manual pages 310 and 311.
I see a stator winding , 3 phase, where the three leads are brought out and terminated on three individual screw terminals which are insulated by a ( bakelite?) block with part number 10329. There are no diodes, as I understand. Ie they are located separately.
Looking at the wiring diagrams later on I only see layouts with generators.

So I guess it is time for me to quit this subject for now, and thanks far all help to try to iron out this question.

Until proven wrong I think that I will have to believe that GM was first in 1960 with alternators and silicone diodes in the US and Bosch in Europe in 1963 in the 230 SL .

Thanks again

Ola