My Chilton's manual says a '51 Dodge car's generator put out a max of 40 amps. In '53 they went up to 45 amps. But, my guess is that your ammeter is capable of handling the current you are likely to see using that alternator - assuming it doesn't need a shunt. And, you do need to confirm that.

Or, you could go with the 80's ammeter and we can discuss the shunt further. We know it is capable of whatever the shunt will handle, we just have to get the right value for the shunt.

Let us know.

 

Will do, I am going to go with what I have set up now and see where it takes me, thanks again

 

I don't know what the 52 ammeter looks like on the back, but on my old 53 if I remember correctly, all it had was a ring on the back of the gauge. There where no electrical connections at all. It read the electromagnetic field created by the current flowing through the wire, and since it was clamped to the back of the gauge, the mechanism in the gauge read the field and moved the needle.

That was a long time ago though, and I have worked on so much stuff I might be getting it mixed up with something else, like a old tractor or something.

Anyway, I was reading your regulator problem post, and was reading the chart on the "motor wiring". It looks to me like wire #16 is the one you want. They said in the chart it goes from the fuse box to the bat side of the solenoid. And this wiring harness runs the output of the alternator to the fuse box also. So I am not sure, but it looks like the one lone wire that runs the whole shooting match is wire #16. If it is, it will be the one to run through the ammeter, and then go on out and hook it back up to the solenoid connection.

 

Wow. That's cool! I know there are clamp-on ammeters available as test instruments, but I didn't realize anyone used them in vehicles. So, that's what you meant earlier about taking the wire out and running it the other way. Dawn! Marblehead!

 

I posted this picture a little earlier of the backside of my new gauge assy and it shows the original ammeter in its place that I will be using, yes there are two rings.

If you guys would like a clearer picture let me know.

So it sounds like I loop the wire around one ring, pull it through the other ring and then loop it around that ring only to come back out into the harness whereever it needs to go from there?

Couple of concerns maybe solutions. That is not real thick but still pretty hefty wire, difficult to loop or wind around the rings, maybe I am incorrect/misunderstanding in that it does not need to be wound but instead just passed thru these rings. I guess that does make more sense and the more I think about it I believe I have experienced this with one or two much earlier cars that I have had in the past.
Not wound just sitting there/passing thru the rings.

I will have to add a quick disconnect at each end near the gauge because I wont want to be running it thru that gauge only to have to yank it all apart later because I have to reverse its direction.

I will look it over myself but I believe you are right on the # 16 wire being the culprit

Thanks for the input

 

I can't answer about the looping, but hope you just have to pass it through. And, if no one knows then I would try that idea by running a headlight off a wire run through it.

But, I'm not sure I would use quick disconnects on my main power source. At least not run-of-the-mill ones, as you could be running up to 60 amps through there when the battery is low. It doesn't take much of a poor connection to cause heat at that much current, so you need good connections. Is there a chance you could test things before doing the final connections on the ends of the wire, and be able to swap at that point? And in any case you should solder the connectors on to ensure a good, long term connection.

 

I am definitely going for a way of being able to test things before final installation, not quite there yet, still trying to button up some loose end. Thanks

 

One pass through the gauge, and it reads 1 to 1(1 amp through the wire will be 1 amp to the gauge). Loop it through so there are two wires in the loop, and it amplifies the reading by 2(1 amp through the wire will read 2 amps on the gauge. I believe it goes through once, but like Gary said, it would be neat to run a charger wire through it to a car battery and see if it works and how it works.

 

I will play around with this before I install and report my finds if I can find a battery charger that will do what I need it too

 

Just to keep the thread up-dated I put fuel in the tank so I was assured that the float would not scrape the bottom when I put it in and buttoned gauge and adapter down. I smelled fuel still and replaced the filler neck rubber deal but still smelled fuel.

I didnt have to light a match by the sending unit to tell it was coming from there so I scrapped that, not sure where the fumes were escaping and for the little bit of time I had in it I decided that time would be better spent going a different avenue.

I found some 1/2 plate and had a friend CNC the shape, drilled/countersunk/tapped some new holes and now I am pretty sure I will not have the fume issue any longer.

Still working toward finishing up all of this nickel and dime stuff that I know if I dont finish now before I fire it up it just wont get done.







I have most of my brake stuff so I may finish that or I may start testing installing the gauges

 

I like that adapter. Good job.

I use #2 Permatex to seal pieces like that on a gas tank.

 

Thanks, I may still have to go back an dabble something on the threads if the fumes still decide they want out, I will wait and see.

 

Friends like that are handy to have around. You can make anything if you have the right tools to do it.

Gary's right, the permatex will hold up to the gas. Seal-All will hold up to it also, but it would be hard to get it back apart if you used that.

 

Took him longer to program the machine as you prob. know. I think I stood there maybe 15 min total though. Id like to have one myself but I dont think thats going to happen any time soon.


I made my own cork gaskets, no smell now so I think I can check this officially as done.

 

I have spent the last day and a half or so re-arranging /bundling my under dash harness into neat clumps, 3 main clumps and easy to reference later on I am thinking I may not cover any of this, do you guys?

I also blasted and painted all of my wheels its tough finding the correct shade of red, I know this looks orange but we have an overcast day ( may rain ) and in different light they are red.

I have not done the rims yet because I know without a doubt that they will get scratched putting them, I just cannot lift them and guide them on so I am postponing it a little bit.

I have gone thru this thread a few times and let me ask one more time a question that I am still un-clear on, maybe no-one knows for sure and thats fine, I have plenty of gauges to experiment on but can anyone tell me right off the bat looking at this gauge in this picture there is a left and right terminal, they all share this, which terminal does the incoming power for the gauge go onto?

I think I lost that resistance wire somewhere along the line so I guess I need to go cut another and get these gauges figured out. Thanks again