Tomorrow I am going to start the swap to a Denso alternator on my 1970 Dart. I have the 60 amp alternator and the AR Engineering bracket kit. I know this has been discussed countless times, and I have read all the threads and the articles from MAD electrical. But here's my specific question: Since I'm only going to 60 amps can I just leave the original alternator wire connected and add a 10 gauge wire with a 14 gauge fusible link running to the battery? Will that be safe and adequate, or do I also need to bypass the firewall connector and disconnect the amp gauge? (I know the amp gauge will no longer be accurate but I already have a volt gauge on the car) TIA!
Yes, that is exactly what I recommend in the instructions. The new 10 ga wire from the alternator to the battery should have lower resistance than the existing path thru the firewall so the output of the alternator will flow directly to the battery rather than thru the firewall. You can check this very easily if you have a clamp on ammeter. The clamp on ammeter will show you how much current is flowing to the battery and how much is flowing thru the firewall connector. I use a clamp on ammeter to double check all of the wiring on any new project. It will quickly show you if the grounds are working and how much current is flowing in each wire.
