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I'm not above making improvements to my car, but I'd like to offer why I had my 35 amp alternator rebuilt instead of going larger, let alone upsizing to the lergest that might fit.
But first, why would you need 120 amps of electricity? How much electricity does a Sonett really need? Unless you have a HUGE speaker system with a several hundred watts of amplification, there just isn't a lot of electricity demand in these cars. Ignition, lights, radio, and what else?
If I had electrical concerns, I'd first suggest making sure the existing alternator tested out in spec, and then figure that the 40 year old wiring harness was in need of some rehab as you will get corrosion and bad connections that will rob precious electricity and dim lights.
From researching larger alternators for a marine diesel, I'd be very cautious about putting the largest alternator that would physically fit on a small SAAB engine. You will (or should) be careful about belt tension to combat belt slipping (a larger alternator will have greater resistance to turning than a smaller one). This will put additional wear on the internal engine parts that aren't known for being excessively overbuilt. In the marine world, you need to start worrying about belt sizes, and often need to go to a double pulley with two belts in order to provide enough torque on the alternator.
Unless I completly misread the specs, alternators are rated to produce a certain amount of electricity at a certain speed. In essence, you are trading HP for amps. At least with my engine, there are not very many ponies I'd be willing to spare just to charge the battery faster.
If you go huge on the alternator, you will have (or should anyway) upsize the wiring to and from the alternator. Trying to push 120 amps through 40 year old wiring that was sized for 35 amps is not a good thing. You should also consider the ability of the battery to accept the additional current with out damaging it.
posted by 70.17.99...
, Sun, 12 Mar 2006 10:51:01, Mon, 13 Mar 2006 15:52:59
, Fri, 31 Mar 2006 02:41:29
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