Mopar performance alternator 1or 2 wire???
Excellent information thank you. The Ron Francis fuse box has a circuit for the fan and controller wiring, but Instead of running those connections through the bulkhead connector I could run them through a grommet in the firewall to power them.
I’ll need to find a powerful enough alternator, which seems to be the issue. Currently have LED’s everywhere except for headlights, and no real aftermarket accessories, but the fans im looking at use 40w.
40 W at 12 Volts would be roughly 3.5 amps. If running two then 7 amps.
Keep in mind most equipment draws more power when given at a higher voltage. So to be safe figure 8 to 9 amps.
Circuits off the fuse box would probably be OK. Even 10 feet of 14 ga wire isn't going to cause much resistance to 9 amps. The resistance will be in the alternator output wire, especially the connector, when that 9 amps is added in.
The daytime running power normally needed is around 4 amps.
Now with fans on that becomes 13 amps.
With all lights on (no relay) add around 12 more amps (depends on how many lights and which bulbs)
At a stop light, add brake lights. Yours may be less with the LED but its something.
Add heater, and wipers.
That total will give a pretty good idea of the load while driving in the worst situation.
Off the top of my head in a stock '64 it probably was around 25 to 30 amps.
The big variable is the state of the battery. If the battery is low, it will want to draw current for recharging. So immediately after starting there will be a short period of time when another 5, 10, 15 or more amps will be flowing through the alternator output wire. The factory alternators help limit battery recharge from becoming excessive because they're maximum output at slow idle is somewhat limited. (They're no guarentee. At fast idle they can produce plenty of power - we see examples more than we'ld like of pegged ammeters getting ignored. The meters show 40 amps in each direction -anything close to 40 to or from the battery is getting excessive. )
With cooling fans, unlike all of the rest of the equipment, when the car is stopped is when the they are needed most. This is unfortunately when the alternator is running the slowest. IF the battery is continually discharged under such conditions, then it will want more and more recharge current when alternator speed picks up during off-idle.
