IROCK ZZ

Anybody had any luck with this one?
Seems like a great price

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-810351/

randyz91

I bought the 100 amp chrome alternator 3 years ago. I think it's great! The headlights do not dim at idle, the amp guage reads higher than ever, and it still looks great! I would not think twice about buying another. I know we are comparing 100 amps to 140, but, I think the quality is there. Randy

Pab's

iTrader: (2)

I bought a 140 amp alternator from a website (cant remember the website ill post it later) for $75 bucks its not chrome though...I also have not installed it Ill be doing that next week and let you know how it does.

//<86TA>\\

iTrader: (14)

i had a 100amp chrome one, the chrome lasted about a year, and i dont even drive that car much, worked fine, just looked like crap. Still have it on the shelf...

have a 100 amp black powdercoated one too, held up much better, but couldn't keep up with my electric draw, so i now have a 140 and its been great.

customblackbird

iTrader: (15)

thats a large case alt(large case looks huge and doesnt leave alot of room, also is worse than newer smaller sizes)... your better off upgrading to a smaller case. or getting a stock one (my 1987 spec rebuilt one was pretty small and stock was 105amp). I still had charging issues with it tho, esp with the underdrive pulleys and soundsystem at night with my lights on stopped at a light... the usual.

I get all my electrical stuff from DBelectrical. Its on ebay and he has a site. Has almost anything you can think of for every car, alternators, starters, he does 1 wire conversions etc and hes very cheap! I got a G3 (newer style alt for ford and they have much better designs, better cooling capabilites). I got a 95amp alt for 73$ and it cost me 113$ total for it to be convertered to a 1 wire hookup and shipped. This is NOT a rebuilt alt, it is brand new.
http://www.dbelectrical.com/p-4074-n...7-afd0076.aspx

camaro/firebird 87-88 200amp
http://www.dbelectrical.com/p-4432-c...8-7858-11.aspx

105amp stock for 69$
http://www.dbelectrical.com/p-4204-n...2-7861-11.aspx

and finnally a 1 wire hookup 140amp alt for 109$!!
http://www.dbelectrical.com/p-4419-h...5-140-amp.aspx

james_adams2006

I have the 140 amp chrome one except it came with a standard v-pulley. Got it about 3 years ago. Haven't had any flaking issues or anything it still looks as good as it did when I got it. I don't drive the car that much either though so and I polish the chrome everytime I was the car (which is probably every other month since I don't drive it that much). The only problem I had with it was the v-belt system itself. The belt always squealed, even with a new belt and proper tension. A swap to a serpentine drive for the alternator corrected this problem though. No issues now and it has plenty of amps even with a 2000 watt amplifier.

customblackbird

iTrader: (15)

That is bc the 140amp alt has too much of a drag on it for a Vbelt setup. From what ive read you shouldnt use anything over 105ish amps with a Vbelt, or it might have been a max of 130amps. With a 140amp alt you have to run a rib style belt or serpintine system. When the current draw on the alt increases the load on the pulley increases which causes squeeling. If you dont have enough surface area of belt on the pulley (friction) it will slip.

I hate the look of mult rib belts and serpintine systems. But i love the look of vbelts (billet pulleys) and I LOVEEEE the COG systems ive seen. they are sooo bad A$$. however $$ and take up alot of room in the front of the motor.

Gumby

I got the 108amp upgrade alt from autozone, was $65 [several years back] and life time warranty. Was a must have for a real stereo system.

Reid Fleming

iTrader: (2)

Chrome alternators aren't a good idea in a hot climate. Chrome holds the heat worse than the natural finish types. Heat = less alternator output.

The 105 amp stock alternators work pretty good for our cars. The real bottleneck is in the cabling. I picked up a full set of battery/alternator/ground cables from www.innovativewiring.com and it made a huge difference.

Our cars use the GM 130 size alternators. The larger models are the GM 144 size (think pick up trucks). There are ways to custom fit a 144 in our cars. But the 130 size is a plug and play fit.

I wouldn't buy a 200 amp alternator in a 130 case size. Too much power makes too much heat. So you'd never really get the full 200 amps. The 140 amp rating, you can easily do in the 130 case size.

However, you'll get better performance with a 105 amp alternator and the innovativewiring cables than you will with stock cables and a 140 amp alternator.

If you want to spend $130 for an alternator, you might as well spend $160 and get a Powermaster 140 amp alternator. But like I said, the cables are where it's at.

james_adams2006

Well I knew the v-belt had its limitations just didn't know how much current output itd handle. I have to say I prepfer the serpentine setup myself. I'd like a set of all billet serpentine pulleys but I don't like the look of most aftermarket ones for the sbc, but I've seen some slick ones for the ls. Anyway I diverge... I have to agree that the stock cables are a definite limitation. I knew that the stock 12 or so gauge alternator wire wasn't sufficient so I cut a length of 8 gauge wire I had extra from an amplifier kit and made a secondary wire from the alternator directly back to the battery. I have to say that's a must if you're thinking ab any higher output than stock bc no matter how much current the alt puts out if the wiring isn't big enough to carry the extra current then the extra output is useless.

hellz_wings

iTrader: (2)

I have the stock alternator for an 86 camaro.. Any idea what amp that one is? I still have the v-belt system..

What would be a good alternator to get (with natural finish) that won't dim my lights at night (I am currently suffering from this issue)?

Also bigger wiring was mentioned.. What gauge wire do you guys recommend to replace the stock wiring and how much of it would I need?

Thanks

hellz_wings

iTrader: (2)

Would this work better than stock?

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PRF-30709/?rtype=10

customblackbird

iTrader: (15)

stock alternators range in AMP output. the highest amp available was the 105amp i believe... the only way to tell would be to somehow test it or know which one you got. Or go to a parts store and see what alternators are available for your year.

The 10gauge alternator charging wire is not better than stock... my stock charging wire was 10gauge.

I actually just rewired my cars charging/batt system. You want to increase the stock 2-4gauge batt cables to a "0" (zero) gauge, this includes the positive wire to the starter, and the negative wire to the block. then increase your battery to chassis ground (car body) to a 2-4 gauge. The stock wire was a 10gauge i think and i actually melted the wire a few times. You should also add some ground cables from the block/heads to the firewall etc. Then increase your alternator charging wire to a 4 gauge.

this is what I did:
battery ground to chassis=2 gauge (only about 6" long)
Battery ground to block= 0 gauge
battery positive to starter= 0 gauge
alternator charging wire= 4 gauge
grounds from engine to firewall= one 4 gauge ground and one 8 gauge ground from back of heads to firewall.

I got my batt cable from a hydraulic/bus maintence company that specializes in wire and haudraulic fittings... cost me maybe 30$ for everything including the cable ends.

ALSO DO NOT USE screw on cable ends! they come loose and can give you a bad connection, they are however reusable and easier to install. I like to use solid brass type cable ends like here http://www.summitracing.com/parts/LNG-45660/ These are not the ones but the type I use and they are usually pretty cheap, they require you to heat the fitting and fill it with solder then dip the cable (that has been stripped) and allow it to cool. This is a better connection and it will never come loose.

A wire upgrade will help tramendiously on our cars! theres a guy on this forum who did a write up on upgrading the wireing and theres a company that will make the harness to your liking and all you have to do is tell him what you want. His work is very good. but its still cheaper to do it yourself.

customblackbird

iTrader: (15)

Just to add, i used 4 gauge on my charging wire but I also upgraded to a 1 wire alternator since I ditched the stock wiring harness, this is a much easier/cleaner install.