1969 Dodge Dart Custom Sedan Slant Six, Father-Son Project
Electrical Charging System Woes
The day before the car was ready for its maiden voyage up to my son's college hometown, the voltmeter started showing less than 12.8 volts. Normally it was about 15 volts. We still had the old alternator and old voltage regulator on the car, so who knows how old they were. Sure enough, the tester revealed that the car's battery was no longer getting charged.
Surprised that the local auto part store was open on Memorial Day, it was even more surprising that they had the parts we needed ... in stock!
We decided to upgrade to the post-1970 charging system, whose alternator has two field wiring connectors, plus utilizes a solid-state voltage regulator. Some minor wiring revisions were needed to accommodate this upgrade, but the internet is awesome for teaching what needs to be done.
An Optima gel-cell battery got installed, too, to ensure that the new-looking car had a totally new-performing electrical system.
Electrical Charging System Woes
The day before the car was ready for its maiden voyage up to my son's college hometown, the voltmeter started showing less than 12.8 volts. Normally it was about 15 volts. We still had the old alternator and old voltage regulator on the car, so who knows how old they were. Sure enough, the tester revealed that the car's battery was no longer getting charged.
Surprised that the local auto part store was open on Memorial Day, it was even more surprising that they had the parts we needed ... in stock!
We decided to upgrade to the post-1970 charging system, whose alternator has two field wiring connectors, plus utilizes a solid-state voltage regulator. Some minor wiring revisions were needed to accommodate this upgrade, but the internet is awesome for teaching what needs to be done.
An Optima gel-cell battery got installed, too, to ensure that the new-looking car had a totally new-performing electrical system.