Alternate Alternator Options/Sources

[Tom]

I don't know if this is still of interest but I went the route of fitting a Ford 3G alternator. There's a good overview on RL from user Bulvot that lays out most of what you need to make this work, though there are slight differences required for the smaller engine as compared to the 928, which is what he developed it for. I can give some details if folks are interested and I took some pictures of what I did, as there is some amount of building the connector that was required.

What's very nice is that there are a number of options for these Ford alternators at various price, and presumably quality, points.

Anyway, the case mates up very well to the standard bracket on the 968, which is where I installed it, though it does need a thick washer as a spacer, as laid out in the instructions.

I further believe that one could make a Ford 6G alternator work and those come in really high amperage versions but I don't have the funds to buy one as a test.

Full disclosure, I ran into other issues with getting that car running so it's still on the project list but the alternator fit was great in the standard spot.

Cheers

Yes, please post pictures and any info you can share. The Nissan alternator works, but there must be a closer fit out there for the 951, and one that is still available new...

[SirLapsalot]

I don't know if this is still of interest but I went the route of fitting a Ford 3G alternator. There's a good overview on RL from user Bulvot that lays out most of what you need to make this work, though there are slight differences required for the smaller engine as compared to the 928, which is what he developed it for. I can give some details if folks are interested and I took some pictures of what I did, as there is some amount of building the connector that was required.

What's very nice is that there are a number of options for these Ford alternators at various price, and presumably quality, points.

Anyway, the case mates up very well to the standard bracket on the 968, which is where I installed it, though it does need a thick washer as a spacer, as laid out in the instructions.

I further believe that one could make a Ford 6G alternator work and those come in really high amperage versions but I don't have the funds to buy one as a test.

Full disclosure, I ran into other issues with getting that car running so it's still on the project list but the alternator fit was great in the standard spot.

Cheers

Awesome, yes if you could post up some details that would be much appreciated!

[SirLapsalot]

I found the thread on Rennlist regarding this swap on the 928. Good info but if you have some pics of your install on your 968 Zirconocene it would be much appreciated.

[Zirconocene]

@SirLapsalot : Will do. I've been slow about digging some of that up but I hope to get to it this weekend.

[Zirconocene]

OK, here's the pictures I took when making this work. During the move from PA to OR I have become a little fuzzy on the details but I'll try to clarify what I can about what I did.

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Picture of the engine bay. No real reason to include this apart from general orientation.

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New bolts for the alternator bracket, no funny business going on with respect to modification.

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Bracket powder coated and reinstalled

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This is the plug on the LRC (?) voltage regulator. Unlike what's called for on the V8 of the 928, the inline 4 of these cars can probably do well to use the compensation. This is a very different connection than on the other version.

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This and the next shot are just to try and show that the little raised ridge on the male plug of the regulator does not work with the female connector which seems to be called out in the places I found. I took 2 shots because it's a black female connector and the lighting was not good enough to show that there's no slot molded into the part.

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I filed off the ridge on the top of the male connector. The female part of the plug is still held securely by the ears on the side of the male plug and the locking mechanism of the female connector.

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I tried to use some nice wire seals to get things really waterproof but even with the thinnest seals I had on hand, they didn't quite seat themselves fully. There's room for improvement here.

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This is the connector I used to attach to the (I don't remember what the name of this plug is for the alternator).


Further pictures in the next post; I've hit the limit on this one.

Cheers

[Zirconocene]

Next and final round of pictures.

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Hard to see on the black wire but there's a ring terminal on there. The blue wire ended up getting a WeatherPack single pole connector (that's more clear later).

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I changed the blue wire on the stock harness to a WeatherPack single connector. Here it is before insertion in the housing.

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Here's the new connection, ready for the alternator.

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This is how everything connects/bolts up on the alternator. You can also clearly see the model of the alternator. I was able to find this at the time for about $120, shipped.

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I think that I had to change the connector for the large ring terminal. I'm pretty sure I used a standoff, but there may have been room, as is, on the original bolt.

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Here it is on the stock bracket. I ran into issues with my AC compressor (it is seized) so I had to go to an AC delete bracket, which you can see later.

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Things must have been just a little tight, so it looks like I filed down the slightly raised area on the alternator. I'm pretty sure I just made it flush to the rest of the ear.

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As outlined in the procedure on RL you have to "build up" the rear of the ear with some washers due to protrusion of the sleeve. This shows you why.

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Here's where I left things back in PA. You can see that the mounting bracket has been changed to compensate for a seized AC unit that won't be connected for a while. I also added some split loom protection to the wiring connections on the back of the alternator.


I hope this helps and will try to answer any questions that come up.

Cheers

[SirLapsalot]

@Zirconocene - Thank you for the pictures!

My only question - It looks like the alternator is pretty tight to the original bracket before you switched to the AC delete. Did you have to do any grinding or cutting to the bracket or was the alternator truly bolt in minus the slight clearancing of the one ear on the alternator?

[Zirconocene]

There was no modification done to the original bracket. The only clearancing was on the very slightly raised boss on the alternator ear. And it wasn't really that bad to begin with, I just had to get it put on dead nuts straight. With the weight of the alternator and a little frustration as a result of that, I decided to alter the alternator a bit to make installation easier.

Cheers

[SirLapsalot]

There was no modification done to the original bracket. The only clearancing was on the very slightly raised boss on the alternator ear. And it wasn't really that bad to begin with, I just had to get it put on dead nuts straight. With the weight of the alternator and a little frustration as a result of that, I decided to alter the alternator a bit to make installation easier.

Cheers

Awesome! Will never have to buy that silly ass Nissan alternator again! Thanks for sharing.

[Tom]

Awesome. Any interest in working with me to make this a Carpokes DIY PDF? I'm sure with a little effort we can find the JPT connectors with the right keyways too....