Re: The Duchess Project: 1940 Super 8 Convertible Sedan

Posted by TxGoat On 2023/6/2 13:14:24

I would not draw down the battery or batteries. Have it/them fully charged and install the new regulator exactly as the instructions say.

I'd give one battery a try. One should be enough.

As for the regulator, it looks good to me. It has a nice heavy base and at least some copper in it. When mounting it, be sure it's on a flat surface, and do not tighten the mounting hardware extremely tight. If anything is done to bend or distort the base, it may cause problems. Don't drop the new regulator. It's a delicate device.

Starting the car normally will draw down the battery enough to cause the system to charge at at least several amps for a minute or so. After that, with lights and accessories off, the charge rate should diminish, if the car is moving at 25 MPH or more in high gear. Turning on accessories may cause the charge rate to increase. If turning on all accessories causes the rate to go negative at a road speed of 30 MPH or more, you may have more acessory load than the generator can safely support.

I would avoid trying to adjust the new regulator. It's a very touchy process. There's a very good article from about 1950 on auto genrator/regulator systems and how to manintain them. I'll try to post a link to it, if I can find it.