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FMbranden38
Samba Member
Joined: June 28, 2019
Posts: 25
Location: Charlotte
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 Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2023 9:08 pm Post subject: WW Alternator Conversion Kit |
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Having issues w/ generator & voltage regulator on '71 bus and need to sort it out.
Noticed Wolfsburg West had this alternator conversion kit: https://www.wolfsburgwest.com/cart/DetailsList.cfm?ID=111998010
Anyone have experience w/ this? Thoughts? Anything additional needed?
Safer to just stick w/ replacing the generator & voltage regulator?
Thanks! |
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Wildthings
Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2005
Posts: 50338
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| Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2023 9:50 pm Post subject: Re: WW Alternator Conversion Kit |
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| How many miles do you figure you will put on your rig during your ownership? Do you have much in the way of added loads? I went with a new Bosch generator on my Thing a few years back because it was fast and cheap and will likely last out my ownership and then some. |
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FMbranden38
Samba Member
Joined: June 28, 2019
Posts: 25
Location: Charlotte
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| Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2023 10:06 pm Post subject: Re: WW Alternator Conversion Kit |
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| Wildthings wrote: |
| How many miles do you figure you will put on your rig during your ownership? Do you have much in the way of added loads? I went with a new Bosch generator on my Thing a few years back because it was fast and cheap and will likely last out my ownership and then some. |
Honestly just a Sunday driver and maybe a few mountain trips here and there. Nothing wild. And besides a new wiring harness, there's no major changes to the original electrical load.
Only reason I was considering a proposed change was the similar cost of buying the conversion kit vs. a new generator/regulator. |
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SGKent 
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2007
Posts: 41031
Location: Citrus Heights CA (Near Sacramento)
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| Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2023 10:41 pm Post subject: Re: WW Alternator Conversion Kit |
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I can't answer your question because there are a lot of people with alternators vs generators. If you go that route I think there are a couple changes, and you will need to set up the fan and shroud properly. That said, I went 700,000 miles in my 1971 using a generator and had to replace it only once. Usually generator problems are caused by worn out brushes. Have you checked and replaced them?
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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin |
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Wildthings
Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2005
Posts: 50338
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| Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2023 4:42 am Post subject: Re: WW Alternator Conversion Kit |
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| FMbranden38 wrote: |
| Wildthings wrote: |
| How many miles do you figure you will put on your rig during your ownership? Do you have much in the way of added loads? I went with a new Bosch generator on my Thing a few years back because it was fast and cheap and will likely last out my ownership and then some. |
Honestly just a Sunday driver and maybe a few mountain trips here and there. Nothing wild. And besides a new wiring harness, there's no major changes to the original electrical load.
Only reason I was considering a proposed change was the similar cost of buying the conversion kit vs. a new generator/regulator. |
My Thing uses the smaller generator which was available new for a good price, I believe the larger generators that the buses used are only available as a rebuild and I don't know what they cost. If you check your brushes every year or so and don't let them wear down so far that they no longer protrude from the brush holder as SGKent says generators will last a long time. Note that in my experience the harder to see bottom brush wears the fastest. As of a couple of years ago, NAPA still stocked the brushes for the smaller generator, don't know if they are the same ones used for the larger generator or not. |
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kreemoweet
Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2008
Posts: 3898
Location: Seattle, WA
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| Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2023 9:16 am Post subject: Re: WW Alternator Conversion Kit |
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It depends on what's in your bus now. You might end up with a lot of
extra unneeded parts, with that WW kit. Stock 69-71 busses had 38-amp
Bosch generator, which are now very rare (as well as some associated parts).
If your bus is bone-stock, you could probably do without the fuel pump and
carb spacer. Alternator will interfere with 34 PICT-3 accel pump linkage if it
is not one that has been modified to work with the alternators VW put in later
bug engines - requires a very small dimple to be made in alt. body. If you already have
the common 30A generator, all you need is the alt and the stand.
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bsairhead
Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2008
Posts: 3565
Location: viroqua wi.
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| Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2023 9:41 am Post subject: Re: WW Alternator Conversion Kit |
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| What issues? You might be better off fixing what you have. |
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qwerty
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Joined: March 18, 2004
Posts: 337
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