Hey guys. Have any of you did a conversion from generator to 1 wire alternator on a older chevy? My father in law wants me to do this on his 57 Chevy. I know one wire alternators start charging when it reaches a certain rpm. Will i need to do anything with the current wiring as far as making the generator light go out? And the rest of the wires and voltage regulator? I am very good at electrical but have not done this before. Any help would be greatly appreciated by me and my father in law. Thanks in advance.

It is not any different then converting and Alternater/Voltage Regulator to either a 10SI or CS130. A generator puts out Straight DC without the use of a Whetstone Bridge which an alternator uses to convert AC to DC; however, Generators or Dynamo, they are sometime called, require higher revs before becoming effective battery chargers but they are very reliable. I would recommend the CS130 say out of an early 80's Chev Safari Wagon as they are belt driven. You should be able to pick up a good used one from a Wreckers for around $25. You would not even require a resistor on the Warning Light line as the 57 has a GEN Light in the Dash, I believe.

Just Wire the Alternators Output and Sensor wire to the same Auxiliary Common Terminal then run a Wire from the Common Terminal to the + Post of the Battery. Often this is on the Solenoid or Horn Relay of older cars but you may have a Common Terminal on the Firewall, Wheel Well or Rad Support or perhaps near were the Regulator resides. You can check with MAD Site to confirm which wires to mate when removing the regulator.

Consider using the Water Pump and Front Engine Brackets from a 70 or Up on that 265 Mouse if that's what is in it. For all I know he might have a 572 BBC or 6 Cylinder in her - If he had a 55 Ford with 6 Volt Positive Ground I would tell you the same thing except he would have to drive the car on it's Roof and use a BIG RESISTOR - LOL

I learned to drive in a 55 Ford, 292 Y Block and 3 on the tree :o))

As simple as a 1-wire seems, I'd avoid it. Get a CS-130 and be done. Check out http://www.camaros.net/techref/electrical/dnult_alt for ideas. In fact, it will keep your GEN lamp working.

Thanks for the quick replys. So if i use and alternator for a mid to late 80's truck it should be a cs series alternator? I found this online http://www.alternatorparts.com/cs130_sbpage1.htm. Please let me know if i am correct with a 1986 truck alternator when i get one. Thanks again for all the help.

Since you're talking about a 57 Chevy, I can't say that an 86 model truck is what you're after or not. I followed the tech reference document http://www.camaros.net/techref/ftecref14.html from the main page of this site for installation on my 68 Camaro with a short water pump. You may need to research your 57 chevy resources for better details.

CS alternators are modern, efficient and reliable. They use all ball bearings, have tigher internal tolerances which translates to good charging currents at low speed. They are simply the way to go if you have a choice. Anywhere a 10si/12si alternator will bolt up, a CS will also.

The main difference between various alternators is going to be the clock position - which means the orientation of the mounting tabs. This is what I suspect your reference to an 80's pickup points to - the clock position. It dictates your bracketry and mounting for your particular setup.

Since you're talking about a 57 Chevy, I can't say that an 86 model truck is what you're after or not. I followed the tech reference document http://www.camaros.net/techref/ftecref14.html from the main page of this site for installation on my 68 Camaro with a short water pump. You may need to research your 57 chevy resources for better details.

CS alternators are modern, efficient and reliable. They use all ball bearings, have tigher internal tolerances which translates to good charging currents at low speed. They are simply the way to go if you have a choice. Anywhere a 10si/12si alternator will bolt up, a CS will also.

The main difference between various alternators is going to be the clock position - which means the orientation of the mounting tabs. This is what I suspect your reference to an 80's pickup points to - the clock position. It dictates your bracketry and mounting for your particular setup.


dnult. I know you don't like one wire alternators, but look at this. It mirrors the generator and is a modern alternator. What do you think?
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=PWM%2D82051&N=700+4294923668+4294880793+4294908216+4294908395+ 115&autoview=sku

Considering a used $25 CS130 will do the same job as that $420 Powermaster Simulator, you know what my answer would be.

dnult. I know you don't like one wire alternators, but look at this. It mirrors the generator and is a modern alternator. What do you think?
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=PWM%2D82051&N=700+4294923668+4294880793+4294908216+4294908395+ 115&autoview=sku

You make a good point. Nastalga hasn't been important to me, but that doesn't mean it isn't important. All my arguments for the CS130 and non-1wire alternators are purely technical.

1wire alternators are discussed a lot. It's a good marketing ploy - a single wire to connect, what could be simpler. But things like having a GEN lamp and remote sensing are more important in my view...which is purely technical.

Z15cam and dnult. My father in law decided to go with the cs alternator you recommended. My problem now is the brackets. His cylinder heads have no holes for brackets. What do you guys think about a set of 67 Camaro alternator brackets? Do you think they would work? Thanks again.

Yes I would think either a 67 or 68 SBC front motor bracket assembly would work. I don't believe SBC Cylinder heads had that BOSS molded in until 69. I have in the past drilled and threaded the cylinder head for this bolt without issues and installed the 70 brackets as it is a very nice and tight configuration. You might have to shave a little metal off the 70 10SI bracket and shim the mounting cylinder with a washer spacer when installing a CS130 into a 10SI location. There is an early 70 bracket that bolts to the front exhaust port manifold bolts that is used to mount the 7O alternator bracket. I use one on my 68 327. If you can't find one I don't think it would be hard to fabricate with say 1/4" X 1" steel bar bent, drilled and weld on cylindrical spacers for manifold and nut welded on the bracket to secure the alternator pivot bolt.

Yes I would think either a 67 or 68 SBC front motor bracket assembly would work. I don't believe SBC Cylinder heads had that BOSS molded in until 69. I have in the past drilled and threaded the cylinder head for this bolt without issues and installed the 70 brackets as it is a very nice and tight configuration. You might have to shave a little metal off the 70 10SI bracket and shim the mounting cylinder with a washer spacer when installing a CS130 into a 10SI location. There is an early 70 bracket that bolts to the front exhaust port manifold bolts that is used to mount the 7O alternator bracket. I use one on my 68 327. If you can't find one I don't think it would be hard to fabricate with say 1/4" X 1" steel bar bent, drilled and weld on cylindrical spacers for manifold and nut welded on the bracket to secure the alternator pivot bolt.


Thanks Ron.