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or you can get an upgrade kit, keeping the stock look and brackets/pulleys setup by:
http://store.alternatorparts.com/daimlerchrysler.aspx

and beside that forgett what everybody says about bypass anything and:
read here

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Most ammeters on muscle era (and mid 70's) mopars are NOT capable of handling the increased amperage of an alternator greater than 60 in most cases to 78 in the later model cases. You will find if the battery ever gets discharged and you have to jump the car to get home that the gauge pegs.

check out http://www.madelectrical.com/electricaltech/amp-gauges.shtml

I have my Duster set up almost exactly like they say in this article and it definitely increased the effectiveness of the charging system. I run a Volt Gauge instead. I have since swapped out my whole cluster so my volt gauge is in the dash now.

I would say, ideally, you'd want to take as much electrical load off of the dash harness on these cars as you can. This can be accomplished by doing the mod as i talk about above and things such as relaying the headlights. The stock alt setup with a higher amp alternator WILL melt your dash harness after a while as well. I KNOW this too well. 12 gauge wire +60 amps or more=melting

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or you can get an upgrade kit, keeping the stock look and brackets/pulleys setup by:
http://store.alternatorparts.com/daimlerchrysler.aspx

and beside that forgett what everybody says about bypass anything and:
read here

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Most ammeters on muscle era (and mid 70's) mopars are NOT capable of handling the increased amperage of an alternator greater than 60 in most cases to 78 in the later model cases. You will find if the battery ever gets discharged and you have to jump the car to get home that the gauge pegs.

check out http://www.madelectrical.com/electricaltech/amp-gauges.shtml

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YOU DON'T NEED AN AMMETER needing to drive the extra load that newer or upgraded alt gives because IF ALT feeds all teh car, power never goes trhought ammeter UNLESS you fit relays on batt, what is simply WRONG. Everything must be hooked on alt side no matter if on alt stud or same ammeter stud.

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YOU DON'T NEED AN AMMETER needing to drive the extra load that newer or upgraded alt gives because IF ALT feeds all teh car, power never goes trhought ammeter UNLESS you fit relays on batt, what is simply WRONG. Everything must be hooked on alt side no matter if on alt stud or same ammeter stud.

all the power demand is on alt side, and JUST WHEN ALT is not able to drive the car demand, then the power goes throught ammeter coming from batt, OR after get the juice from bat and increase RPMs then power is feeding/charging back the batt... For a while alts feeds all the car demand and car never needs for juice from batt or batt never needs to get recharged, amm needle stays on dead center.

the deal is try to get the batt out of the game more as posible, no matter if because car needs more juice than alt is able to feed or because batt needs to be highly recharged

ammeter is really a gauge what says you how much power is coming or going to/from batt. If batt never gets in power play, ammeter never feels the power going thru, so never gets heat.

with an upgraded charging system, you just get power comig from batt so going trought ammeter on start up and with engine off or when alt doesn't feed the demand on certain points.

Is My and some other ppl experience and is a prooved upgraded without modify anything. I'm playing the upgrade I posted on DC.com SINCE 3 YEARS NOW, and simply with a newer Mopar stock alt. And still feel the confidence to fit a 100 amps alt or more!!!

you need just to take care to NOT RECHARGE THE BATT from a full discharge status on your car, thats all!!! thats the only moment you really have to worry of ammeter.

and IF YOU DECIDE to charge the batt on car, you still have an easy solution... drive a direct wire from alt to batt to jump the system just for a while you get charged the batt.

what madelectrical states on website IS NOT 100% true. They state with mod, now main splice is outside the cab on starter relay stud what is SIMPLY WRONG... main splice is still inside the cab and there is not a way ( at least an easy way ) to change that.

beside that with that modification tehy are only saving the weak point of bulkhead terminals, but STILL the load is being drive for couple of thin wires, so STILL you have a weak system there what is not able to drive extra loads. Then you are getting power on couple of single wires no matter where power is coming from, if alt or batt, so you have the same ammount of wires than the original system.

and honestly, if I'm going to trust on charging status between volt and ammeter, I trust more on an ammeter. Shame that is true that they should be designed to hold better/more load, and Mopart shoudl use better quality alt design to be able to charge at iddle .

of course, both gauges working together is even better!!!

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YOU DON'T NEED AN AMMETER needing to drive the extra load that newer or upgraded alt gives because IF ALT feeds all teh car, power never goes trhought ammeter UNLESS you fit relays on batt, what is simply WRONG. Everything must be hooked on alt side no matter if on alt stud or same ammeter stud.

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That would be true if people had a modified factory system. The way the factory wiring is configured, power is fed AFTER the ammeter, therefore requiring that the entire lead first feeds through the ammeter and then to the starter relay distribution point.

Say you're pulling 100 amps (stereo, fans, headlights, etc, etc) from the alternator. Where do most of these things hook up? Stereo... battery post, fans... battery post or starter relay stud. All of these are fed through the ammeter in a factory system: alternator > ammeter > starter relay > battery. So unless you're trying to feed power directly from the alternator (which, btw isn't a good idea when dealing with components such as stereos due to it not being 100% rectified), you're still pulling it through the ammeter.

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yeah ? if feed the car from alt is not a good idea why the COMPLETE CAR is already being feeded from alt side FROM FACTORY ?

if alternator is not feeding correctly rectified, then you'll have a short or a miss on power. That it means a DAMAGED ALTERNATOR

If power is able to come from alternator feeding everywhere you don't have power coming from batt. Is a fact batt is on the system but that doesn't mean power comes from there. Is simply like this: Amm needle doesn't move, no power going THROUGHT the amm so nothing AT LEAST REALLY SIGNIFICANT is coming from batt.

If I am really wrong, then tell to my car what is riding in that way from 3 years ago what is wrong and should it be discharging everytime and burning everything

If you hook stuff from bat, alt will be sending power VIRTUALLY to batt what is not really true, because is really feeding what is hooked to batt, thats the momentr when ammeter reads like is charging, what is not a real reading. Is really feeding stuff hooked there. Then ammeter never rest, and begings the heating process

on a side note, my ammeter is ALLWAYS cold and around 85% of time with needle on center, and I have 6 relays plugged on black side of AMMETER ITSELF because I have all relays inside the cab. Of course not all working at the same time... 3 as much.

when is not on center is because I'm with A/C on low or mid speed, geared but brakes on a trafic light at night, all lights lighted on including brakes, and radio ( multiplex stereo stock one, what does have lot of consumption ) and when get discharge reading on that moment is maybe 10-15 amperes discharge reading as much.

and alt is stock laters 70s Mopar one without mods. I can get the PN from the tag still attached.

of course I'm talking about a small modification stated on link I posted couple of replies above. read it and then think on that

Is not MY idea really, MaMopar already had that option on more than 60 amps alts cars equipped, and then was allmost standarts from mids 70s cars.

just taht we are forgetting that

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the alt is not really supposed to carry the load. thats the batteries job. The alt is just meant to recharge the battery. The ammeter is just supposed to tell you how much charging the battery is getting (if any)

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then you will get allways emptied the batt after some time.

if that will be true, then everything would it be hooked to batt and then the alt directly hooked to batt

Ammeter gauge just reads power coming/going from/to batt. If nothing is coming or going to batt, ammeter doesn't show a reading and that would it mean two things:

-there is enough power on the other side of ammeter to feed everythin or...

-nothing is working, sucking power from batt.

guess what? if nothing is working and batt is still hooked you still have powered the system but nothing flowing throught ammeter



one NOTE more

when you crank the engine the power is TOO HIGH than is enough to move the car. I bet you'll have more than 60 amps there in consumption ( more than ammeter is able to read, in fact maybe 80 100 amperes rate ) however the ammeter doesn't read that... WHY ?, BECAUSE POWER to starter motor IS BEFORE THE AMMETER!!!!... the discharge reading is because relay is working, and relay is feeded by ignition switch AFTER the ammeter

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YOU DON'T NEED AN AMMETER needing to drive the extra load that newer or upgraded alt gives because IF ALT feeds all teh car, power never goes trhought ammeter UNLESS you fit relays on batt, what is simply WRONG. Everything must be hooked on alt side no matter if on alt stud or same ammeter stud.

all the power demand is on alt side, and JUST WHEN ALT is not able to drive the car demand, then the power goes throught ammeter coming from batt, OR after get the juice from bat and increase RPMs then power is feeding/charging back the batt... For a while alts feeds all the car demand and car never needs for juice from batt or batt never needs to get recharged, amm needle stays on dead center.

the deal is try to get the batt out of the game more as posible, no matter if because car needs more juice than alt is able to feed or because batt needs to be highly recharged

ammeter is really a gauge what says you how much power is coming or going to/from batt. If batt never gets in power play, ammeter never feels the power going thru, so never gets heat.

with an upgraded charging system, you just get power comig from batt so going trought ammeter on start up and with engine off or when alt doesn't feed the demand on certain points.

Is My and some other ppl experience and is a prooved upgraded without modify anything. I'm playing the upgrade I posted on DC.com SINCE 3 YEARS NOW, and simply with a newer Mopar stock alt. And still feel the confidence to fit a 100 amps alt or more!!!

you need just to take care to NOT RECHARGE THE BATT from a full discharge status on your car, thats all!!! thats the only moment you really have to worry of ammeter.

and IF YOU DECIDE to charge the batt on car, you still have an easy solution... drive a direct wire from alt to batt to jump the system just for a while you get charged the batt.

what madelectrical states on website IS NOT 100% true. They state with mod, now main splice is outside the cab on starter relay stud what is SIMPLY WRONG... main splice is still inside the cab and there is not a way ( at least an easy way ) to change that.

beside that with that modification tehy are only saving the weak point of bulkhead terminals, but STILL the load is being drive for couple of thin wires, so STILL you have a weak system there what is not able to drive extra loads. Then you are getting power on couple of single wires no matter where power is coming from, if alt or batt, so you have the same ammount of wires than the original system.

and honestly, if I'm going to trust on charging status between volt and ammeter, I trust more on an ammeter. Shame that is true that they should be designed to hold better/more load, and Mopart shoudl use better quality alt design to be able to charge at iddle .

of course, both gauges working together is even better!!!

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The amp gauge will always show a + charge after a start and any time after a period at idle, especially if the headlights are on. Many times in my experience this was around +20 on my gauge. Therefore, the battery is demanding power. If it wasn't it would sit at zero.

when bypassing the amp gauge, and connecting directly from the alternator to the starter relay, the length of wire and voltage drops to be able to charge the battery are drastically reduced. I have it hooked up where both original charging leads (mine have been replaced with 10 gauge all the way though) are hooked to the starter relay as well...therefore DOUBLING the area of the wire to transfer the electricity. From the splice on out, its the same wires, but the length of the circuit is roughly the same.

My headlights are powered off the starter relay through a set of relays that isolate them from the dash harness.

With a volt meter, if you have more than 12V, the alternator is charging...simple as that.

Funny how new cars have roughly the same setup that I do in my car...voltmeter, charging battery first. Even Chrysler went to this in the 80's. Its no secret that the original wiring in these mopars is mediocre at best. It would be even better to feed the ignition from under the hood.

It also begs the question that if you're never relying on the battery for power why you'd need a 100 amp alternator in the first place. The high amp alternator will recharge the battery quickly as well as support a higher current draw. Lets be honest though, the highest current draws in the car are:

Starter (not constant)
Ignition System
Headlights
Running Lights/Brake lights
Wiper Motor
Blower Motor
Then other things such as the radio, etc.

The long length of the dash harness and the bulkhead connectors create a lot of heat if all the current is passed through them.

If you're running a 100 amp alternator with a thinner than 8 gauge wire you are certifiably crazy. Eventually your wires will melt.

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the alt is not really supposed to carry the load. thats the batteries job. The alt is just meant to recharge the battery. The ammeter is just supposed to tell you how much charging the battery is getting (if any)

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then you will get allways emptied the batt after some time.

if that will be true, then everything would it be hooked to batt and then the alt directly hooked to batt

Ammeter gauge just reads power coming/going from/to batt. If nothing is coming or going to batt, ammeter doesn't show a reading and that would it mean two things:

-there is enough power on the other side of ammeter to feed everythin or...

-nothing is working, sucking power from batt.

guess what? if nothing is working and batt is still hooked you still have powered the system but nothing flowing throught ammeter



one NOTE more

when you crank the engine the power is TOO HIGH than is enough to move the car. I bet you'll have more than 60 amps there in consumption ( more than ammeter is able to read, in fact maybe 80 100 amperes rate ) however the ammeter doesn't read that... WHY ?, BECAUSE POWER to starter motor IS BEFORE THE AMMETER!!!!... the discharge reading is because relay is working, and relay is feeded by ignition switch AFTER the ammeter

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yeah ? if feed the car from alt is not a good idea why the COMPLETE CAR is already being feeded from alt side FROM FACTORY ?

if alternator is not feeding correctly rectified, then you'll have a short or a miss on power. That it means a DAMAGED ALTERNATOR

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