Re: 39 charging issues

Posted by David Grubbs On 2013/11/29 20:21:18

Ok, finally got the 39 out of the garage and out for a drive on a beautiful 54 degree day. Charged the battery up well the night before. Drove to my friendly mechanic's house and we installed a ammeter out of a 50 Chevy pickup, letting it droop below the dash. Testing it, we also checked out the battery with a digital voltmeter. The battery was reading just over 6 volts with the engine off. Repolarized the regulator and generator, but still barely any charge with the engine at a fast idle. My friend had a spare brand new voltage regulator on the shelf - we installed it and now things seem to be working ok.

The flack master is looking for a 39 junior series ammeter for me. If anyone else has one floating around, let me know. I can modify the Chevy gauge and make it look like the correct one, but that be a pita project. I would rather have a Packard one. I think the 39 and 40 gauges are the same.

I don't understand why the old regulator tested ok in the shop, but didn't on the car, but anyway the parts swapping worked. Thanks