Quote:




Any loose/ poor/ corroded connections in the path between the alt and battery will raise the voltage

Any bad stuff in the infamous bulkhead connector and the ammeter--if it's not bypassed will raise the voltage.





This is ALWAYS the first thing I check - I've cleaned and greased or totally bypassed more battery/alternator firewall connections on old Mopars than I can count. Pull the connector for the motor wiring at the bulkhead, the one with the heavy red lead with the fusible link and heavy black lead off the alternator - dollars to donuts they have green corrosion, or worse, actually melted plastic. The terminals can be removed from the harness with a fine screwdriver to push the tab lock in, and spread back out to snap back in place. I clean 'em all one at a time with a wire brush and dremel, retouch the wire connections with solder, grease 'em and snap 'em back in place. If the plastic melted I bypass them by drilling two holes in the firewall and run new connections.

In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with leaving the stock ammeter in place - it's the connections TO the ammeter and battery going thru the firewall that are the problem. Those connections not only feed power back from the alternator to charge the battery but also feed power from the battery to the car when you're turning the key to start. Internally the ammeter is just a strip of brass with two terminals on it and the needle just moves as it sense the current flowing thru the brass.

Along with making sure the field wires are properly connected to the alternator and voltage regulator, make sure there is a good ground to the voltage regulator. It and the starter relay, as many other things on the engine compartment, are held on by sheet metal screws, which over time, lose their bite as they've been tightened on repeatedly over 40+ years. They need good grounds to make them work.