Alternator
From the Resto-Mod department
The SIIA is originally fitted
with a dynamo to produce the electricity needed to
charge the 12v battery, as alternator were not even
invented yet. Victoria has been running on dynamos
during 58 years: why changing then ?
The first problem is that dynamos
are less durable than alternators. Built at a time
were things were not lasting, but aimed to be
repaired at a decent cost. Things have changed and
repairing a dynamo today costs the price of a new
one. But... the production of dynamos stopped
decades ago, which means that the replacement units
are cheap to buy, but cheaply built. Why not
repairing it ourselves ? Yes, this is doable at home
with a bit of mechanical experience.
But then... The dynamo,
pulley-driven by the engine's accessory belt,
produces a direct current which needs to be
stabilized by a separate device, very prone to fail
too. Victoria had several replacements and the
quality of the current stabilizers was only getting
worst. These can't be repaired at home by the
average hobby man.
On top of that, the dynamo is an
heavy beast but does not generate a lot of current:
at idle speed, with headlamps on, the battery is
actually drained to support the immediate
consumption. It is not a big issue and the car never
suffered from that aspect.
But if you add all of the above,
when times come to restore a car, the question
arises: go alternator or not ?
As we planned to replace the windscreen with a
heated one (the car lives in cold Switzerland), a
high consumption device, the decision was easily
made.
More pictures below.
