I was thinking of putting a 140 amp Powermaster 1 wire on my 82, and removing the external regulator. They say not to run under drives, so the pulley goes back to stock too.
I just installed a Powermaster Bullet 140. Nice and and simple 1 wire setup and the chrome finish looks tight too! It works well on my mostly strip 91 GT. One thing you may check into is over-voltage on your old wiring. That may be your only issue to watch. I'm sure someone else has some experience with the one wire upgrades.
so far knock on wood...i have a jegs 100 amp 1 wire alternator and i havent had any problems at all...i have march underdrive pulleys except to the alternator pulley i just went ahead and used the one it came with..
Save some $$$ and get a 3G from the junkyard for $20-$40. For a few extra dollars, most junkyards will give you a 1 year warranty.
I recommend a 4 gauge wire and a 125-150 amp fuse. I have an additional 4 gauge ground running from the power steering pump mount to the common chassis ground. You can put the engine side of the ground on almost any bolt on the engine except the timing cover or water pump bolts. They tend to corrode and make bad electrical connections.
The 3G is far better than the powermaster. I have had both and the 3G charges much better at idle, which if you have an e-fan is when you need the extra amps most. The 3G looks a lot cleaner without the cooling fins coming out and the 6 gauge wire that my powermaster came with was useless. You will need a 4 gauge wire to your solenoid or battery terminal with a 100 to 150 amp fuse... depending on your draw. I chose a 100 because I rather it burn out sooner. I dont have a serious stereo yet...
Kevin
I got a Powermaster 140, mostly because I did not want to do any more wiring and adapting than I have to.
I am hoping that this: Fits the 1980 serpentine bracket.
Does not require any wire changes.
Does not require rewiring the ext regulator
Does not need an extra set of wires to the cut off switch.
The only prob so far is that I have to run a new switched wire from somewhere to the choke heater, as I had been using the stock Ford unregulated output wire.
I have thought about the 3g upgrade, etc, but my experience with salvage yard parts at this point is that it takes too long to go there, find one, remove it, etc. Especially if it needs to work, not just look good.
That said, I spent 4 hours last Sat in a salvage yard removing tailight bezels from a 66 Malibu to install on mine.
So the Mustang has to make do with new stuff. I can make up wires if necessary.
The 3g does make a lot of sense, and I may go to that on the Capri, when I go with electric fans, or on the 82 if this doesn't pan out.