63 C-10,
I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you have a 12 volt generator and ammeter in the dash.
Usually a old dying battery won't come back from the dead so this item is probably out of the equation. Your ammeter, if working properly, is the diagnostic tool that tells you your charging system doesn't seem to be doing its job.
After making sure all your drive belts are tight, it might be wise to try and find out if the problem is with the 'boss' or the 'employee'.
The generator is the employee, as it is told when to charge, and how much to charge. If you can pull the field wire off the regulator and touch it to a good ground, it should put the generator into full charge. If you have someone inside watching the ammeter when you do this, the needle should go to full charge. Do this only for a few seconds..just long enough to have your helper verify the gauge reading.
If this works, then this tells you that the regulator probably isn't functioning properly.
If it doesn't work, one of the things it might be telling you is that the generator needs to be repaired or replaced. Brushes, springs and a commutator cleaning might do the trick, and these would be easy for you to do.
There are more modern charging system components that are cheap, much more reliable and pretty easy to install if you don't mind losing some 'style points' for non-stock accessories.
So to sum it up...either the system is being told to charge and can't..faulty generator OR, the generator is fine but is not being told to charge..regulator. Good luck!
Stuart
