Any lighter GM/Delco/Delphi alternators out there?

69427

The Artist formerly known as Turbo84
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Clinging to my guns and religion in KCMO.
Just looking for additional ways to take off some (frontend) weight. My stock ('69) 36 amp alternator weighs 10 or 11 pounds (I'm too lazy to go out to the garage and check), while a spare later style (100A) alternator on my shelf is the same weight. While I'm impressed with the increased "amperage per pound" capability of this later alternator, I'm more interested in less pounds per amp. My 36 amp alternator does the job just fine, but I'd sure like to put a similar amperage but lighter weight unit on the car. Label me odd, but I would prefer to retain a GM/Delco/Delphi part on the car. (Okay, if the Nippondenso part is waaaayyyy lighter, I could be talked into grinding off the label and affixing a Delphi label. :wink: )

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks,
Mike
 
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Well, YES< you are odd....

I am more compulsive and you are more obsessive.....:clap:

:quote:
 
Mike, is the steel rotor and copper windings in the GM alt necessary ? If not couldn't you build an aluminum or composite rotor and wind it with aluminum and also wind the stator with aluminum ?
 
Mike, is the steel rotor and copper windings in the GM alt necessary ? If not couldn't you build an aluminum or composite rotor and wind it with aluminum and also wind the stator with aluminum ?

The lapband seems like a quiker and easier alternative.
 
Mike, is the steel rotor and copper windings in the GM alt necessary ? If not couldn't you build an aluminum or composite rotor and wind it with aluminum and also wind the stator with aluminum ?

Roger,

I certainly don't claim to be an alternator design expert, but my guess is that they needed the steel rotor (ie: ferrous material) to increase the magnetic field coupling/containment, and the lower electrical resistance of copper (versus other conductive wire materials) allows smaller wiring, which reduces packaging size and is easier to wind.

Just my guess.
Mike
 
Mike, is the steel rotor and copper windings in the GM alt necessary ? If not couldn't you build an aluminum or composite rotor and wind it with aluminum and also wind the stator with aluminum ?

Roger,

I certainly don't claim to be an alternator design expert, but my guess is that they needed the steel rotor (ie: ferrous material) to increase the magnetic field coupling/containment, and the lower electrical resistance of copper (versus other conductive wire materials) allows smaller wiring, which reduces packaging size and is easier to wind.

Just my guess.
Mike

Yep. It would be the size of a house paddle fan, and not be very good.

I would suggest using the 100amp alt of similar weight, and using a "barely adequate" battery. :quote:Save the weight there instead.;)
 
Mike, I toyed with this issue back when I upgraded RamJet's old stock alt. to accommodate the added load requirements of dual Spal fans etc. Also wondered about the hp loads they sapped off. Wound up taking the lazy way out and had the original rebuilt for higher output.

I then decided to go on a diet and lose 5 lbs. :D
 
Mike, is the steel rotor and copper windings in the GM alt necessary ? If not couldn't you build an aluminum or composite rotor and wind it with aluminum and also wind the stator with aluminum ?

Roger,

I certainly don't claim to be an alternator design expert, but my guess is that they needed the steel rotor (ie: ferrous material) to increase the magnetic field coupling/containment, and the lower electrical resistance of copper (versus other conductive wire materials) allows smaller wiring, which reduces packaging size and is easier to wind.

Just my guess.
Mike

Yep. It would be the size of a house paddle fan, and not be very good.

I would suggest using the 100amp alt of similar weight, and using a "barely adequate" battery. :quote:Save the weight there instead.;)

I currently have a slightly better than "barely adequate" battery in the car, and have been eyeing and weighing a lot of batteries when I encounter lighterweight candidates. I'm trying to lose the weight in both places.
 
Mike, I toyed with this issue back when I upgraded RamJet's old stock alt. to accommodate the added load requirements of dual Spal fans etc. Also wondered about the hp loads they sapped off. Wound up taking the lazy way out and had the original rebuilt for higher output.

I then decided to go on a diet and lose 5 lbs. :D

Well, my current situation is that the 36Amp alternator still does the trick, so no bigger capability is needed. I'm still running a mechanical fan, so I don't have any electrical loads different than when the car was built. I'm not too worried about any horsepower differences (I'm speculating they're minimal), as I don't get outpulled in the straights very often anyway. I just want to be able to get through and out of the corners a bit better/faster. The alternator packages quite high and forward in these cars. I'm considering moving it to the right side in the future.
On a personal note, I have lost five pounds in the last couple weeks. Got five more to go though (190# goal).
 
Pulley compatability

Just curious if Delco/Delphi had the good manners to retain the same shaft diameter in their newer alternators, allowing the possible retrofit of older pulleys on newer alternators.

There's a serpentine pulley on that spare alternator I mentioned previously, so I might just pull that off and see if an old v-belt pulley will fit. I was planning a junkyard trip in the near future, so additional fitment information might be handy.

Anybody know the answer ahead of time so I'm not wasting time and effort? (I'd like to put a serpentine belt on the engine in the future, but I'm not ready for the extra annoyance at the moment.)

TIA.
 
Just curious if Delco/Delphi had the good manners to retain the same shaft diameter in their newer alternators, allowing the possible retrofit of older pulleys on newer alternators.

There's a serpentine pulley on that spare alternator I mentioned previously, so I might just pull that off and see if an old v-belt pulley will fit. I was planning a junkyard trip in the near future, so additional fitment information might be handy.

Anybody know the answer ahead of time so I'm not wasting time and effort? (I'd like to put a serpentine belt on the engine in the future, but I'm not ready for the extra annoyance at the moment.)

TIA.



Between the CS and the SI series alts, the pulleys are totall interchangeable trick is to get some large washers for spacers to control the pulley offsets....sometimes to flip the pulley over....

done it a bunch of times...no sweat...

they even kept similar mounting configuration, enough that making something work is not a act of congress....

:cool:
 
Just curious if Delco/Delphi had the good manners to retain the same shaft diameter in their newer alternators, allowing the possible retrofit of older pulleys on newer alternators.

There's a serpentine pulley on that spare alternator I mentioned previously, so I might just pull that off and see if an old v-belt pulley will fit. I was planning a junkyard trip in the near future, so additional fitment information might be handy.

Anybody know the answer ahead of time so I'm not wasting time and effort? (I'd like to put a serpentine belt on the engine in the future, but I'm not ready for the extra annoyance at the moment.)

TIA.

Did you look at the powermaster denso & delco page? They list the weights, the amps and a lot of companies like CV products and KRC make super lightweight pulleys for those in several sizes.
 
Just curious if Delco/Delphi had the good manners to retain the same shaft diameter in their newer alternators, allowing the possible retrofit of older pulleys on newer alternators.

There's a serpentine pulley on that spare alternator I mentioned previously, so I might just pull that off and see if an old v-belt pulley will fit. I was planning a junkyard trip in the near future, so additional fitment information might be handy.

Anybody know the answer ahead of time so I'm not wasting time and effort? (I'd like to put a serpentine belt on the engine in the future, but I'm not ready for the extra annoyance at the moment.)

TIA.

Did you look at the powermaster denso & delco page? They list the weights, the amps and a lot of companies like CV products and KRC make super lightweight pulleys for those in several sizes.

Yeah, I looked at the link you posted. Some very nice stuff, and handy information. I'm currently using that info (weights, and possible prices) as a starting point reference to compare to what I might find in my junkyard search. So, I don't currently know where I'll be sourcing the "new" alternator.
The additional pulley selection from the companies you mentioned is certainly encouraging.
(Regarding the future serpentine plans, I'm not impressed with most of the available serpentine setups I've seen, so I'm hoping to come up with my own configuration. The brackets aren't that big of a deal to fabricate, but I'd like to find a somewhat shallow crank pulley eventually to closer mimic the routing of the current belts.)
 
Well, spent some 94* time out at the junkyard today looking for stuff. I also took my Harbor Freight digital scale along, and started pulling alternators off their in-shop shelf there to weigh. To my disappointment, I couldn't find any OEM manufactured alternator that was lighter than the Delco units I presently have on the car or on my spare parts shelf. So, no cheap weight reduction is going to happen soon.
It might be a while before I can talk myself into the high dollar lighter aftermarket stuff, but I might just move my present alternator over to the right side in the mean time to try to help correct the poor L/R weight balance.
Just for kicks, is the alternator on the right side on (any) small block applications? The right side alternator wiring issue would be easier if I can just salvage a used harness portion.

thanks,
Mike
 
Just curious if Delco/Delphi had the good manners to retain the same shaft diameter in their newer alternators, allowing the possible retrofit of older pulleys on newer alternators.

There's a serpentine pulley on that spare alternator I mentioned previously, so I might just pull that off and see if an old v-belt pulley will fit. I was planning a junkyard trip in the near future, so additional fitment information might be handy.

Anybody know the answer ahead of time so I'm not wasting time and effort? (I'd like to put a serpentine belt on the engine in the future, but I'm not ready for the extra annoyance at the moment.)

TIA.

Did you look at the powermaster denso & delco page? They list the weights, the amps and a lot of companies like CV products and KRC make super lightweight pulleys for those in several sizes.

Picked up a Denso alternator at my favorite junkyard yesterday. It looks just like the Powermaster labeled units, except natural aluminum finish. Put it on my HF scale and got just under 6.9# (almost 4# lighter than my stock Delco unit). Looks nice and clean, so it doesn't appear to have had much use. I told the yard owner I'd take it if it was cheap enough so I could put some money into it if it needs a new part or anything. Got it darn cheap in a package deal, so I now need to spin it up somehow to see if it works.
I'll check out the lightweight pulleys.
Thanks!
 
For 4 lbs on a 3 year old thread....

I gotta give you credit, THAT is dedication......


:crutches::D
 
Well, spent some 94* time out at the junkyard today looking for stuff. I also took my Harbor Freight digital scale along, and started pulling alternators off their in-shop shelf there to weigh. To my disappointment, I couldn't find any OEM manufactured alternator that was lighter than the Delco units I presently have on the car or on my spare parts shelf. So, no cheap weight reduction is going to happen soon.
It might be a while before I can talk myself into the high dollar lighter aftermarket stuff, but I might just move my present alternator over to the right side in the mean time to try to help correct the poor L/R weight balance.
Just for kicks, is the alternator on the right side on (any) small block applications? The right side alternator wiring issue would be easier if I can just salvage a used harness portion.

thanks,
Mike

Chevy had a lot of applications with right hand alternators. I can check for which ones.

Sent fom my mobile using Tapatalk 2
 
Wow, a thread back from the dead.
If you're interested there are setups to mount the alternator running off the diff pinion. Lower and farther back might be better than lighter up front.
Or you could toss it entirely and run a magneto.
 
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