Plymouth thunderbird9/1/2023 (You can get the plug for the 10SI alternator with the 2 wires from any auto parts store.)Ĭonnect a 16-gauge wire from the #1 pin on the alternator to an idiot light (a small light you can get from the auto parts store to put on the dash with 2 wires coming off it.) Neither wire of the light goes to ground. The #2 pin is the one farthest away from the Bat terminal. Hook up another short 10-gauge wire from the #2 pin on the alternator to the Bat terminal on the alternator. Remember, you must switch the leads on the ammeter if you are changing from positive ground to negative ground or it will read backwards. Or, if you have an ammeter in the dash, run from the alternator to it and then to the starter. Using a 10-gauge wire, run from the Bat terminal on the alternator to the positive cable end on the starter. To wire it in, unhook the wires from the voltage regulator, cut the ends and seal them off and tie them out of the way with the rest of the harness. Check in any good hotrod or street-rod magazine for suppliers of brackets. There are lots of aftermarket brackets available also. Many older 6- and 8-cylinder engines have brackets available that will work because later in life they switched to alternators. They are not that hard to install as many brackets can be made or modified to install it. They also do away with the stock voltage regulator as they already have an internal regulator. They are tough, small, and cheap, and most places have them in stock. More specifically, most use a General Motors 10SI alternator. You will have to change out the voltage regulator for a 12v one also. The brackets are usually the same and wiring stays the same. Now you have the option to either switch to a 12v generator or a 12v alternator.Ī generator is not used as often, but it is simple to change out. Also make sure you have clearance above if you use a top post. Take your battery box measurements and get a battery that will work for your application. The first thing you need to do is get a 12v battery of course. Now, let us focus on the areas that you need to change. The ground strap will need to reach and have the correct end to connect to the negative post and the cable to the starter solenoid will need to reach and have the correct end to connect to the positive post of the new battery. Things like the ignition coil, amp gauge, wiper motor, heater motor, etc.Īlso, the battery cables will need to be changed or modified. Start being reversing the power wires to anything that is polarity conscious. So, if you have a positive ground, you need to do a few things first. Second, figure out if you have a positive or negative ground. So, the wiring will live happily with 12v. Changing to 12v cuts the amperage load approximately in half. It is heavier because it must carry more amperage. It is easier and cheaper to do it all once than to change over, fight bad wiring, have problems, then must do it all over a second time…įirst, if you are wiring and your switches are in good shape, then so are you!Ī 6v wiring system and switches are more than enough to handle 12v. There is no sense putting all this work into changing over if you are still going to get shorts and take a chance on burning down the car. If your wiring is frayed, split, or cracked, start over. So, many of them were sold, traded, parted out and so on, lost to the ravages of time.Before you get into this project, be sure to look over your wiring. It took a while for anyone to realize that the price of winged cars would skyrocket in a few decades. And, as happens throughout history, no one recognized the value of the things at the time. The winged cars campaigned for the full 1970 season but were put out to pasture in 1971. He had recently defected to Ford but said he might return if an aero car was available for him to race. They also needed to lure Richard Petty back to Plymouth. In 1970, Plymouth decided to slap a nosecone and a wing onto their Road Runners in an effort to catch up with the Dodge Charger Daytona that had come out the previous fall. If you have ever seen a famous Superbird, you've seen this one. Not too long ago, I had the chance to go for a ride in a Superbird once owned and raced by Richard Petty. And as you might imagine, to really understand any car, one must drive and/or ride in as many of them as possible. I've written quite a bit about them in articles here and in book form. I've got a thing for Winged muscle cars: the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona and the 1970 Plymouth Superbird, specifically.
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