I put one-wire alternators on my 38 (now living in New Jersey) and my 53. Your Ammeter should be OK with the alternator depending on the output of the alternator. I fried the Ammeter on my 38 by putting a 60 amp alternator on a car designed for a 30 amp max charge. I believe the 53 will be OK. I disconnected the field wire from the Gen and taped it up out of the way and connected the armature wire (main charging wire) to the BATT post of the voltage regulator. With a self regulated alternator the stock voltage regulator has no function but connecting the wire to the BATT terminal maintained some look of originality plus the current flows through the system in the correct direction. If you put the 10 gauge wire on from the alternator to the battery, bypassing the ammeter, it's common for the ammeter to not function correctly because a lot of the charge is feeding to it from the wrong direction. It's wise to hang a voltmeter under the dash if you do that.
Last edited by Tiny; 10/15/2025 11:20 AM.
