I have a 1953 Chevy truck with a 235 . I put the a new wiring harness from classic parts it’s a generator harness how do I put a one wire alternator on . I see they have a harness but just not sure how to install with existing harness . I also have the amp meter in the gauges .thxs
you are not gonna need those GEN wires. Get a self exciting ALT and a single wire 10 gauge to the BATT. Voltmeter to ACC. Thats what I did. But there will be others that might say different.
~ BD. "You won't find me in an old folks home" Pioneer Florida Cracker 1958 Apache Stepside 1958 Apache 1/2 ton Panel 1959 Apache 1/2 ton Panel
OK, I'll say different. I much prefer a 3 wire alternator over the 1 wire type. And make sure the voltage sense wire is connected back into the under-dash electrics so the alternator can regulate to what the electrical system is actually seeing, not just the output of the alternator. This is a better explanation of why.
'57 GMC 102, Original 347 V8, HydraMatic, 3.08 rear gear, added A/C, disk front brakes, HEI, AFB carb, '98 Honda Black Currant paint. T-boned and totaled 10/12 '52 GMC 152 Stake Bed, Original 228, SM420, added A/C, HEI, disk front brakes, '67 Chev 3.55 rear gear. Gets used as a real truck.
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; 10/15/202511:20 AM.
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