'57 generator conversion

[ward 57]

No. On occasion it will have a slight glow when in gear. but otherwise I never see it. All original so no extra loads. 13.5+ at about 1500 RPM. Good enough for me. May tweak the regulator later but I'm happy.

[Jimntempe]

No. On occasion it will have a slight glow when in gear. but otherwise I never see it. All original so no extra loads. 13.5+ at about 1500 RPM. Good enough for me. May tweak the regulator later but I'm happy.

From my experience that's too low a voltage if that's at 1500 and you have nothing at all on, no lights, no blowers, no foot on the brake. That's how mine was and battery would slowly drain. I adjusted the voltage points in the regulator to get it up around 14.2 at 1500 and it's been much better. It will drop down to around 12.4 - 12.6 at idle with the AC running full blast. Once moving again it pops back up to at least 13.5 with AC on. With AC off it will run as high as 14.7. I was leery of messing with the regulator but decided to give it a try and it turned out to be pretty easy to adjust. On mine it's just slightly bending the lower spring tang on the voltage coil. Doesn't take much to raise it a volt.

[Rusty57]

I agree with Jim that 13.5 volts is too low to maintain adequate battery charge. If I do not know the specs for a given vehicle I typically look for a charging voltage in the 13.8 to 14.2 range.

Last fall I checked the Ford shop manual for these cars and was a little surprised. I checked because I was reading about 15.2 volts at the battery with the engine at about 1000 rpm. That sure seemed high to me based on my experience.

The various tables show voltages in the 14.6 to 15.4 range. Those voltages will definitely keep the battery charged. My concern is that they are high enough that they can be hard on the battery especially at higher under-hood temperatures.

I might try to adjust the regulator to get at least in the mid to upper 14 range.

Remember to put the cover back on the regulator after you make any adjustments and before you check the outputs. The cover does alter the magnetic fields around the coils and will change the readings slightly.

[ward 57]

You guys make too much good sense. According to the shop manual at 65deg the voltage should be 14.7- 15.5. At higher temps the voltage should be less. Time to start tweaking my regulator. Now to take the cover off and see which one I have as adjustment methods differ as to the make. I replaced it at least 20 yrs ago with one from NAPA and unfortunately I tossed the original. Young & dumb.

[Alan H. Tast]

This is starting to look like an article / tutorial on how to adjust generator voltage regulators is needed for the Scoop as this topic would be valid for any pre-'63 'Bird. Any suggestions (other than referring to Gil's Garage from the CTCI website) on what to include, short of copying something from a factory shop manual or Motor's manual (which I just happened to pick up for '57-'64 over the weekend) and including specs from Sun or AEA tune-up charts?

[Joe Johnston]

"This is starting to look like an article / tutorial on how to adjust generator voltage regulators is needed for the Scoop as this topic would be valid for any pre-'63 'Bird."

Great idea!! Thank you!
J

[ward 57]

You guys make too much good sense. According to the shop manual at 65deg the voltage should be 14.7- 15.5. At higher temps the voltage should be less. Time to start tweaking my regulator. Now to take the cover off and see which one I have as adjustment methods differ as to the make. I replaced it at least 20 yrs ago with one from NAPA and unfortunately I tossed the original. Young & dumb.

Yah know, sometimes the obvious just baps your forehead. After looking at the manual I went to look at my regulator and the decal on top says 15 Volt 30 Amp. Why mine put out so little off the shelf I'll never know and didn't know until recently they were adjustable. May be able to keep my charger on the shelf this year.