After last event, I ended up with a broken regulator on the alt. Was able to limp the car home thankfully, but needed replacement. Instead of replacing just the regulator, decided to go extreme overkill and pickup an entire new one from RJM Injection. 160amp 3G alt, 7" pivot. Same as the junkyard Taurus unit I had before, but brand new (NOT a reman) and 160amp vs 130amp. At the same time, also picked up a new harness since mine was original from the junkyard Taurus and a new pulley. Was a good move since the bearings in the old one were toast too and had a bit of end play in the shaft.
Broken regulator:
Old alt with the broken pieces:
In the process of removing the old alt from the modified AC bracket, the bushing was heavily seized into the ear. Couldn't move it with a mini sledge and didn't want to break the ear off. My father surprised me while I was away by drilling out the old brass bushing and machining a new steel bushing. Much better fit.
Along with the bushing, I made a new pivot bolt to replace the threaded rod I had used previously. Threaded both ends and welded a nut on one side. Other side is topped with a nylock.
New alt with pulley:
Mounted in old bracket:
Unfortunately, the pulley is setup for a different series belt so I had to retain use of the stock one. Cleaned it up with a wire wheel and shot with paint. Had to space it off the front cover as I did with the Taurus piece and reset belt dept in car; .450" off the front of the bracket pivot and rear .200" to allow the bushing enough travel to clamp.
Also, when I ordered the alt I had it clocked at the 12 o'clock position which puts the harness right on top for easy access and better run to the charging post. Comparison to the old:
Also came with a new Weatherpack connector for the charging light. Much better than the spade connector I was using previously. These are a breeze to crimp/solder and put together as well:
In car and running. For my tensioner setup, I tossed the bolt that came with the alt since it had no printed hardness rating. Hole is M8x1.25 which I replaced with a spare grade 12.9 allen I had. Looks better and I'm not worried about losing the bolt under tension.
Volts at cold idle (1100rpm). This is with rear defrost, HVAC, headlights, fogs and dual slim fans running.
At hot idle (750rpm) the voltage with all accessories on is around 12.2v. Blipping the throttle hits 15v then settles mid 14s again. VERY impressed and next setup will be a proper battery relocate and getting rid of the hack wiring. This is with the Essy UDP as well which really affects alt RPMs. With the factory 90amp unit I had to rev to 2k before it would even start charging.
Also took time this weekend to replace the front brake hoses. I had Pegasus Racing pieces in the front which have been known to BLOW APART OR HAVE THE ENDS SEPARATE. Unacceptable. Big props to Mike McCreight who offers these lines, DOT rated (unlike the Pegasus garbage) and sleeved which runs from the XR hardline to PBR banjo. The longer lines in the picture are for the rear TBird discs which I have, just not yet installed.
Compared to the old crap coming off:
In car:
Bleeding. I hate bleeding brakes. I. HATE. BRAKES. And brake fluid on my hands. And getting brake cleaner in my eyes. And dealing with the STUPID mounting of the brake line and hose through the fender so you need two people. UGH.
Car runs and drives again.
