Going from an Alternator back to a Generator

[64\/54Cadillacking]

Hey guys, I recently purchased a used generator off EBay for my 54 Fleetwood. Someone installed an alternator on it prior to me owning the car, probably because the old generator kept giving the car problems, but I honestly hate how it looks under the hood as it's not original to the Cad, and I rather get the generator rebuilt professionally at a electrical shop here locally where I live, and install it in the car eventually.

Now what would be the process to go about converting back to the generator? I purchased a NOS voltage regulator as the old one is missing under the hood. Is there anything else i need to do in terms of re-wiring and can anyone possibly provide pictures of their 54-56 Cads on the wiring setup, mounting points and overall the exact location on where the generator is supposed to sit in the engine compartment?  as this will help me out tremendously.

Thanks Caddilackers!

[bcroe]

Converting from an alternator to a generator is the hardest
direction to go.  The wiring will need considerable addition
to connect up the Gen and Vreg.  A gen cannot just output
current (like an Alt), the current must be routed thru the Vreg
so it can be limited. 

If there is no voltage reg in sight, your present alt probably is
a self contained internal regulator type.  To access the project,
compare the original wiring diagram for your car, to one using
your present alt.  That is what you must create, and if anything
goes wrong, you have no charge system.  good luck, Bruce Roe

[64\/54Cadillacking]

Thanks Bruce,

I'll have to dig into the shop manual and take a look at the wire diagram. I'm just not the greatest at doing electrical work.

[Moody]

I've done this years ago. Have a good ohm meter to check wires as you build one wire at a time. Or find another harness and splice the needed wires. There is also the option of an using an alternator which appears as a generator. Add the regulator for effect. Dave

[J. Gomez]

If the previous owner/mechanic that did the conversion butchered the original wiring (which most likely they did) you have to make one.

The original hardness had just 3-wires a "Brown", a "Dark Blue" and a "Black", the "Black" was just the ground from the VR over to the generator body. This is the diagram for the '56 but it is also applicable to the '54-'55, you can follow the wires on the attach diagram.

The VR is mounted on the front of the radiator grill and the hardness runs from the generator to the VR next to inner fender. The extra "brown" wire from the VR goes over to the GEN dash light.

Good luck..!

[David King (kz78hy)]

I installed a NOS regulator on my project and wired it.  Not yet running to confirm, but connected as it is supposed to go.

You will have to zoom into the photo and look at the voltage regulator.

[64\/54Cadillacking]

Thank you guys for that, I'll have to take baby steps in all this, it doesn't look too difficult though, patience will be key.

It's basically getting the wiring down correctly and making sure that the generator is functioning properly.

Is there any benefits to going back to the generator or should I just stay with the Alternator? I do have an electronic ignition distributor and an electric fuel pump installed, I'm just hoping that the generator can handle the extra load from having those 2 devices hooked up since as of now, they work fine.

[bcroe]

Is there any benefits to going back to the generator or should I just stay with the Alternator? I do have an electronic ignition distributor and an electric fuel pump installed, I'm just hoping that the generator can handle the extra load from having those 2 devices hooked up since as of now, they work fine. 

I converted my 62 from a generator to an alternator, because
I was fed up with it failing every year.  The alternator will not
produce the radio interference of a generator set, but will
generally have more capacity.  Some say the generator electrical
bumps are not good for an electronic ignition, cannot verify.  Alt
maintenance periods are about 4 times as long.  Reduced weight. 
Bruce Roe

[J. Gomez]

There are a few pros and cons in converting to an alternator you mention one, looks.   

Since in your case everything seems to work fine, I'll just leave it as is. As Bruce states above alternators are more reliable in all RPM ranges.

Good luck..!

[wheikkila]

You can always convert it to a Gener-Nator. genernatoremail addresses not permitted It is pricey. But I have been told they work great. 
                            Thanks Wayne

[35-709]

www.https://www.gener-nator.com/ 

[David Greenburg]

I went the gener-nator route on my '60, and I'm very happy with it.  Pricey, but it looks and works great. The proprietor uses your original case, so you know it will fit and look original, and he will walk you through any installation questions/issues.  There are cheaper alternatives, like the Power-Gen sold all over ebay, but the look is more generic, and I had heard about people having reliability issues with them.

[bcroe]

Bruce, I don't know what caused your issues. Mine has lasted 16 years so far with only one hiccup which was my fault. I didn't know it had been rebuilt and was adding oil at each cup which caused it to fail. That was 6 years ago.

Your Results May Vary.  At the time I was driving 40K miles a
year, with the lights and often the heater on, knew very little
about cars.  It seemed the generator would go out every
Thankgiving without warning.  The second time that happened
I got hold of the failed gen, and discovered the problem was
the brushes had failed. 

I repaired the gen and kept it ready for a quick swap the NEXT
time, which certainly did occur.  I have no patience for cars that
break down.  This was the start of a maintenance program, where
I change out high wear parts before they actually fail, and rebuild
parts pulled to keep on the shelf for next time.  In time I started
trying to redesign parts to minimize or eliminate service as much
as possible (alternators, 304 stainless steel exhausts). 

In reducing RF interference I shielded everything, but unlike that
bulky generator, the alterator was quiet.  There can be a problem
with low generator output for a lot of time idling, but at the speeds
I drove that never came up.  Bruce Roe

[64\/54Cadillacking]

I appreciate the input guys. Well I'm still on the fence on all this. It's going to cost $200 to get the generator professionally  rebuilt by a local well known electrical repair shop. That's not too bad of a price, if worst comes to worst I can always contact a Caddy expert that i recently found out about  lives near me and he can probably help me with the process.

The gener-nator alternative looks like a great option, but it is too pricey. I could possibly ask the electric shop if they can some how convert the generator internals to alternator internals.

[Roger Zimmermann]

I could possibly ask the electric shop if they can some how convert the generator internals to alternator internals.

Then you will fell on your a.s about the price!

[fishnjim]

correct me if I'm wrong, but this is like the first year for 12V, so what are the odds the next owner would convert back to alternator?   
I suspect they might have had a little trouble with the early/first ones because it didn't become industry std until '57?   Took many more years for alternators to take over, and they had hickups too with the first internal VRs.   I recall they popped like pop corn for a while.   And from two wire to one.   
I don't think anyone can tell how hacked the wiring is from here, if you can't, so best to engage an auto electric shop, if feeling queazy.   Pay me now or pay me later...  Up front costs aren't the only costs.

Seems like some people just don't like generators/VR systems, while other do.   Kinda like mechanical v electric fuel pumps.   Blue cars v red.   6VDC vs 12VDC.   Just can't keep 'em original forever.
I suspect number correct OEM parts might be scarce but no magic.   Most of these you can slip a new VR under the old cover and no one knows...   I've done that.   Generators are pretty bullet proof but succumb to wear.