6 volt or 12 volt

[FordBlitz]

A company named "Power Master" makes an alternator that looks like a generator. Sells for around $447.00 U.S.
I have installed these on old farm tractors and they work very well and look great.
Don't know of anyone who makes a conversion kit to change an existing generator to an alternator.
If your question is, can you make an alternator out of a generator. Anything is possible if you want it bad enough. That would be quite an undertaking.
You would have to start with an empty generator housing and start from scratch. This includes the armature. The inner workings are completely different between a generator and an alternator.
With a generator, the armature has several windings, connected to individual segments ( contacts ) on the armature commutator.
The two field windings and pole shoes the field windings are on, inside the generator housing, forms a fixed magnetic field the armature windings move through as the armature turns. As each individual winding, one at a time, in the armature, reaches about the midway point of the magnetic field around the field pole shoes, voltage induced into that winding reaches a peak voltage and is transmitted to ground on the negative side and the armature terminal on the positive side by the brushes that are in contact with the appropriate commutator segments. Talking negative ground generator in this example.
This all happens, one armature winding at a time. The brushes move from being in contact with the commutator segments at the point of peak voltage as the armature turns then moves to the next set.
An alternator does something similar but in an opposite and different fashion. The armature and the field function is reversed. What was a rotating armature in a generator becomes a rotating field in an alternator and what was a fixed field in the generator becomes a fixed armature in the alternator. Ony now this is called a "Stator".
The armature brushes in the alternator apply a fixed D.C. voltage to the field windings to form a magnetic field that rotates with the armature ( now field ) windings as it turns. The magnetic field that is now moving through the fixed "stator" windings ( not armature ) inside the alternator housing creates an A.C. current, not D.C. like the generator, that is connected to a diode bank. Diodes are electric switches that switch on and off as the circuit polarity changes. A Delco alternator for example has 3 stator windings that connect on each end to 1 positive diode and 1 negative diode. 6 diodes total. As the polarity of the current in each winding reverses, the diodes switch on & off so only negative current goes to ground and only positive current goes to the " BAT " terminal.
Whew!! Did you keep up with all this ?
Anyway, is it possible to make an alternator out of a generator ?? If you want to bad enough and are real creative.
Be easier to contact Power Master. They obviously have already done this.

Wow talk about detail you made my head hurt. Clearly you know what you are talking about and Power Master looks like the go. Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge.

[FordBlitz]

PowerMaster looks like the best option for me if they will ship to Australia. A further question if you dont mind. If you had used the original NOS mounting bracket would you have had to do all the fabrication?

[Wolfman]

If you go up and look at Britt's photo, The Power Master is a bolt in unit.
Referring here to older regulated Delco Remy alternators.
One point of interest is how wide the pulley is to get the belt groove in the OEM pulley to line up with the water pump and crankshaft pulley grooves. Stock alternator pulleys come up way short of alignment.
The belt groove width is another issue. The OEM pulley has a much wider belt groove. Going to have to do something about this.
Another point is the diameter of the alternator housing. The Power Master and an OEM generator are the same size. If you used a Delco Remy alternator, Internal regulated or 1 wire type, the housing is a much larger diameter. Going to take some refab. work to get the alternator to fit and line up.
An early externally regulated Delco is a smaller diameter but still not a bolt in.
If you go with a later computer controlled alternator, they are smaller diameter. First off, you don't have a computer. The price is considerably higher for these than an old Delco plus a core charge for a core you don't have. Plus the mounting hassle. Your closing in on the price of a Power Master.
I have run across foreign made alternators ( to the U.S. ) that are smaller and would fit the hole but they still have to be mounted.
Don't know about shipping to Oz ??

[Raflad]

There is a good article in the April/May issue of the History in Motion magazine from someone who installed a PowerGen alternator in their jeep and goes into some lengths to what is involved.

[Jim Thomason]

This post is for general information. There are a lot of post about going 12 volt and cost:: Original or looking original is not addressed here. This is to point some owners to a reasonably priced alternative. I believe they sell the wide belt pulley separately, also. They are on the internet or
CALL (800) 753-2242
DB Electrical
1-Wire Alternators Alternator Tractor 1-Wire 63 Amp 10SI w Pulley for 5/8 Inch Wide Belt

Item #: 400-12394
$83.43
FREE SHIPPING
In Stock

OF course you still have to engineer your own mounting brackets. I am not suggesting you use this, just making you aware of the product. Jim

[FordBlitz]

I have sourced a PowerGen $700(AUS) landed in Australia after postage and taxes. Was going to cost me $750 to rewire my 6volt Gen to 12volt plus an additional $350 for a new regulator. So I am now committed to the PowerGen. I will let you know how it progresses.

[FordBlitz]

By chance you dont happen to know the diameter of the machine washer you used ie if I can get that I can multiply it by 5 to estimate what I will need to do the job.
Thanks

[old arkie]

read some old articles about using a tractor 8 volt whats your thoughts

[Bruce W]

My thoughts? Eight volts is a band-aid for an owie that does not exist. A six volt system in good condition will work just fine. An eight volt system in bad shape is no better, so the original problem still needs to be fixed. Only one thing - eight volts will provide brighter six volt headlights, but will also provide shorter sealed beam life. My $.20.
BW

[J-C]

Here you have another possibility.

Generator to Alternator :

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=al ... A1E498DBD6

HOME PAGE
e-mail: genernator@gmail.com
The Final Solution to the OE Generator charging problems
Link To Gener-Nator Pictures
AS SEEN ON
JAY LENO'S GARAGE

[FordBlitz]

Done and dusted .went with the powermaster. A bit of fiddling around but a good result. For info went with a CJ 2 front pully. It was the best fit and married up with the spacers that were part of the powermaster supplied.
Thanks for all your help

[rgtb]

...

6V lighting isn't the best now a days.

I concur with that last point. I've got a "road bar" with 6 volt LED Brake Lights that I mount to the back of my Jeep when driving on the road.

Hi Seth,
Do you have a link for the 'Road Bar' please? I've been looking for a while and can't find much. I'd like to put it on my Bustle Rack, because that just hides the 6v lights completely
Richard

[sjalbert]

It's not a part that I bought. It's something I built myself. Give me a couple of days and I'll pull a sketch together.

[warbirdphotog]

There is a good article in the April/May issue of the History in Motion magazine from someone who installed a PowerGen alternator in their jeep and goes into some lengths to what is involved.

Thanks, I wrote that article! I took what I wrote on my online blog and turned it into the article for the magazine.

[old arkie]

reading the post about 6 volt or twelve volt systems. being an old guy takes me back to a time when fords and maybe gm used a positive ground system. Found that out when restoring a 40 woody station wagon. drove it around awhile at car shows, gave it to my son who lives in Arizona and drives it around often. I did convert it to 12 volt as 6 volt items were at the time difficult to find and costly so if 6 volt systems were used in our ww2 and and for a bit after when all went to 12 volt. saved on reducing wire sizes