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Hello to all, first let me thank you for all your help with my various questions, you have help immensely as well as provided morale support, thanks again! New ?? My 57 3100 needed a new generator so I made the switch to an 110 amp alternator. After many tries I got the the universal bracket set up, made a new upper bracket and wired the unit. It is a one wire unit which I ran back to the battery and grounded the alt to the engine. I knew before I did this I was not going to able to use my dash guage as I didn't think it was safe to wire the guage into the main wire. My question is two fold, is there any way to use the existing guage with the new alt and even if I can't I want to get another gage which I can mount in the cab, but where do I wire it in.? There seems to be two stab connectors on the side of the alternator. Are those for the guage? How do it hook up? Thanks Kevin

Unless you plan to run a huge sound system you've got twice as much alternator as you'll ever need. A 55-65 amp unit would have been overkill- - - -100+ amps is bordering on "Forrest Gump's Mama" territory. Just forget about doing anything with the dash ammeter- - - -there's an easy fix but nobody in the past several years on this forum has been interested in doing the simple modification that would solve the problem for good. Buy an aftermarket voltmeter and hide it somewhere like under the hood or inside the glove box if you think you've just got to have something to look at to convince you the battery is getting charged.
Jerry

If you buy an aftermarket voltage gauge, they generally come with instructions on how to wire the connections. Follow the instructions and you should be fine. Your 110 amp alt. is overkill as Jerry said. Those two connections are not for a voltage gauge, That is for the wire harness that connects to the internal voltage regulator. Are you sure the alternator you have is a one wire alternator?

If you are okay with replacing the gauge, here is a Stovebolt Tech Tip that shows you how to replace your current AMP gauge with a modern Voltage gauge and disguise it as an original gauge in your existing gauge cluster.

http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/electrical/voltmeter/

Does your alternator have one large post and a two prong plug? If so, the larger wire of the plug can be used to feed your gauge cluster through the ignition switch. You would be better off with the 55-65 AMP alternator. The smaller wire feeds an alternator warning light. If it is truly a one wire alternator find a local rebuild shop. My local guy said he can convert a wire to 3 wire or 3 wire to one wire for about $20.

I just converted from a generator to an alternator last week. I also added a 50 Amp Auto Reset Circuit Breaker inline before my instrument cluster to protect the AMP gauge. The information I found is the original AMP gauge is rated at 50 amps. My Alternator has a potential 65 amp output but that should never happen, but the breaker will protect things if it does. RESULTS: steady 14.43 volts/charging at battery, steady bright headlights. The only thing I am thinking about doing is pulling the alternator back off and painting it black to camouflage the fact I have an alternator. That bright silver case stands out like a sore thumb.

Ok, from all I have read, the oem amp gage is good for 50 amps. If your alternator never has a load exceeding 50 amps --no problem.

You can leave the one wire from the alternator to the battery -- this takes care of a load exceeding 50 amps. Also run a 12 ga wire from the alternator battery lug to the neg side of the amp gage -- I fused this 40 but you may want 50 -- this circuit will also go to the key ON for everything running afterward with key on plus anything running on battery like headlights would be on this same side. From the other positive side of the amp gage it runs back to the starter 12 volt lug or back to the battery -- I fused this 40 also. The amp gage will still sense discharge and charge. It works... I run a 63 amp one wire alternator.

You may want to trace out your existing oem wiring to see what is already there and what is missing.

Go down to the Gauge System Section.

http://devestechnet.com/Home/Native12VUpgrade

Hi, thanks for the info, does anyone know if there is company who makes a voltage guage that fits into the original cluster that would replace the amp Guage. Can't seem to find anything. Thanks