There is a problem I've been having for a while with my truck. It is a '53 with a 292 six out of a '66. It has the GM 3-wire alternator, the one with a wire for ignition and two red wires that come together into one. The problem I'm having is keeping a steady voltage. The biggest culprit would be the electric fans. Since the 292 didn't leave enough room for a regular fan, I had to wire up some electric ones. It is a dual fan that I salvaged from a 2000-something Dodge truck. Just wired up directly with a switch on the dash. Whether I have one or both fans connected, turning them on causes a huge drop in voltage, then settles for barely above 12v. When off, it is above 14v. I also noticed it fluctuates a little with the turn signal on.
Am I in desperate need of a different electric fan? Is there a better way to wire it up? Is the internal voltage regulator shot? Can an external regulator be added to an alternator that has an internal one? Or is everything actually just fine?
(Recently tried to add an external regulator, but I was given a Chrysler/Dodge two pin and couldn't figure out how to wire it into the GM alternator wiring.)
