1973 Wagoneer - Full Size Camping Goodness

[jeepdreamer]

Dr. M

We use to have one of those as a tiver house vehicle. The funny thing is that it had a toggle switch on the dash that didnt go to anything. I was maybe 6 or 7 and ask my dad what it was... i was told that it was the turbo. So there i was riding front center (no seat belt) and i would flip that toggle up. Not knowing at the time my dad would mash the gas and would not let up until either i or my dad flipped it back down. Man my dad had some fun with that switch...

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Hahaha... we had a 72 impala we used as the family vacation car. When I was little my dad did the same thing. It had the acceleration for cruise as a button on the end of the turn signal. He called it magic. I believed him haha

 

[Dr. Marneaus]

a long time ex-girlfriend said her dad used to do that when she was a kid if she ever hit the hazard button on the dash, lol!



Buttttttt. New alt arrived and looked like it had already been installed by somebody. greasy hand prints, grease on the mounting foot.

Either way, i installed it. Got it in and all tightened up. seems to be slightly more misaligned than the last one, but i can tweak that.

Tested good, 14.5v at the alternator during idle, 14.4 at the battery.

I again tested for a poor ground by checking between the alternator body and the negative battery terminal. It showed -0.03 volts, so there is a voltage differential of .03 which is way smaller than they say to watch out for.

I revved it up to 1500 rpm and had high beams, AC fan, heater fan all on high and checked, it was -0.05v at the negative terminal, and -0.08v between the body or the radiator, etc. So, again, still under .1v.

We'll see how long it lasts....

 

[Comanche Scott]

I beat the heck out of a track car for two years with a Power Master alternator. It was still going strong when next guy raced it (may still be for that matter).
While I'm not a fan of the "one wire" solution for street vehicles, I think they get a lot of bad "parroting" on the web.
Just got my mitts on a 28si the other day with the J180 mounting.
http://www.dbelectrical.com/p-7557-alternator-28si-j-180-hinge-mount-delco-style.aspx?CAWELAID=130000240000002131&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=22984815776&CATCI=pla-81491708456&gclid=CL36s_zWkc4CFQUEaQodnH4Fww
Whoa, that thing is a brute! Definitely takes up some real estate, but is a very durable unit. I might put one on the Scout, so I can run a welder... and supply energy to the California power grid, during the next brown outs... :elkgrin:

 

[lumpskie]

get it oiled/under coated. But yeah, i'd probably park it.

Wanna take a look under my 2004 dakota that lived in NH from new until 2015? Not pretty, not fun to work on. boddy was rotted out pretty bad. My brother cut out most of the rust, put in new metal and painted the whole thing more or less.


S'all good though....

Does your brother have a body shop or do you know of a good body shop in NH? There's a little spot under my wood trim that I'd like to take care of...

 

[Dr. Marneaus]

I beat the heck out of a track car for two years with a Power Master alternator. It was still going strong when next guy raced it (may still be for that matter).
While I'm not a fan of the "one wire" solution for street vehicles, I think they get a lot of bad "parroting" on the web.
Just got my mitts on a 28si the other day with the J180 mounting.
http://www.dbelectrical.com/p-7557-alternator-28si-j-180-hinge-mount-delco-style.aspx?CAWELAID=130000240000002131&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=22984815776&CATCI=pla-81491708456&gclid=CL36s_zWkc4CFQUEaQodnH4Fww
Whoa, that thing is a brute! Definitely takes up some real estate, but is a very durable unit. I might put one on the Scout, so I can run a welder... and supply energy to the California power grid, during the next brown outs... :elkgrin:

Is there anything else I need to check on it to make sure its not ME burning it out?

Also, i need to shim my alternator bracket i think, i need to get the pulley shifted outward a little bit.

 

[Dr. Marneaus]

Does your brother have a body shop or do you know of a good body shop in NH? There's a little spot under my wood trim that I'd like to take care of...

My brother is a mechanic in RI. His body guy did it like a year before, it failed, he did it the second time around. For the price we paid for all that work i would never complain, but lets just say he's not a body man.

 

[Comanche Scott]

Is there anything else I need to check on it to make sure its not ME burning it out?

Also, i need to shim my alternator bracket i think, i need to get the pulley shifted outward a little bit.

Good idea to correct your belt alignment. That can create additional heat, as well as belt/pulley wear. The heat part usually isn't significant, but is additive.


The three most common alternator issues I've run across are; constant high output at low rpm, external heat, poor grounds/wiring issues.
You've already taken care of the wiring issues, and alternator grounding. i don't "think" you have enough draw to cause internal overheating. So just protect from external heat sources (akin to an OEM setup, don't need to get crazy).
My gut feeling is the first alternator just had a regulator/internal connection issue. From my experience with single wire alternators that suffer infant mortality, this is most common.
If it runs a month of daily driving, it will most likely run for years, as long as the above issues don't crop up.
Hope your new one runs for years. :beer:

 

[Dr. Marneaus]

Got the alternator in, wasn't pleased with alignment as mentioned above. I couldn't find a decent way to shim my bracket forward so I pulled the alt and put a massive washer that was the perfect diameter for the shaft behind the pulley but in front of the fan plate. Worked perfect and everything is nicely aligned.

Checked voltages and grounds again all appears well.

Hope this one lasts

 

[lumpskie]

Nice! Keep is updated on how this alternator behaves.

 

[Dr. Marneaus]

Welp....first time i have hooked the camper to the jeep in about 2 years.



It's got the axle issues still (one side of the torsion axle squats a few inches..rubber inside probably let go), but pulls fine. I've had to reinforce more areas of the body to keep it from fallin apart. Sadly, the last 35 years of being dragged down dirt roads and whatnot have taken their toll. The thing still works, but it's probably nearing the time where its put out to pasture. Wife and I discussed, and we'll probably keep it through the season and see about upgrading next spring or summer.

That being said, my plan is to use the hell out of it while we still can! Hoping to get it out at least 2 or 3 more times this year.

This weekend, our target is Antelope Lake, which is about 2 hours north. This will be the first trip towing with the new fuel injection and alternator, etc. I'll report back!

 

[kojackJKU]

Phew, I read that and thought you were putting the jeep out to pasture....but its just the camper...phew!

 

[Comanche Scott]

I think there is a meadow up near Lake Antelope, in which case both the Jeep and the trailer will be "out to pasture"...
Hope the weekend is awesome, and all goes great. :beer:

 

[Dusty Wagoneer]

Have a great time Drew, and post bunches of pictures soon! :sombrero:

 

[locrwln]

I saw them this afternoon, so the Jeep and trailer both made it home. Hopefully the trip went well.
.
Jack

 

[Shapeshifter]

Im interested of what you thought of Antelope Lake.