I've got the original regulator back in place now. Like I wrote, I had noticed that it has two contact points on the cutout relay instead of only one on the newer model. If all the current must pass through the cutout - lights included - then that single contact point on the cutout might get a little warm, don't you think?
In any event, with either of the regulators in place the ammeter on the dashboard shows a very different activity depending on whether the lights ar on or not.
Do you mean to say that in normal usage the current relay should be made, and that the contacts are only broken at higher gen output? I should expect more activity on the voltage relay than the current relay? What in the heck is the dashboard ammeter actually measuring?
Karl

It may not be the easy way, but it is the Cowboy Way - Ranger Doug
Beware of the stories you read or tell; subtly, at night, beneath the waters of consciousness, they are altering your world. - Ben Okri
1953 Chevy 3100
1960 Volvo PV 544
1941 Chevrolet Special Deluxe