Fitting the GM Alternator to the Triumph Spitfire
ELECTRICAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR REPLACING THE GENERATOR WITH A GM ALTERNATOR IN A SPITFIRE MKI, MKII, OR MKIII, OR A GT6 MKI (Assuming previous conversion to negative ground for Spitfire MKI and MKII models)
Disconnect the ground lead from the battery before proceeding with any electrical work, and, of course, follow all the rules of proper wiring practices. I recomend using solder connections, and covering them with heat shrink tubing, but crimp type connectors will work quite well also. You will need butt connectors for attaching to the plug wires, and a large ring connector for the screw terminal. If you would prefer not to have splices, you can remove the terminals, and the wire, from the plug. Using new terminals of the proper type, connect directly to the existing wires, and insert the terminals into the plug. New terminals can be purchased from British Wiring, (20449 Ithaca, Olympia Fields, IL 60461, 708-481-9050) and The Wire Works (167 Keystone Road, Chester, PA 19013, 800-292-1940), among others.
METHOD ONE (Utilizing existing wiring):
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AT THE CONTROL BOX:
Look for the following wires:
Black: Remove and discard.
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Smaller Brown/Yellow:
Brown/Green:
Disconnect and tie together, with an insulated connector.
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Larger Brown/Yellow:
Brown (3):
Using a large, solder type butt connector, connect all 4 of these wires together, and insulate with heat shrink tubing. Be aware - this connection carries ALL of the current for the car, so it must be a good connection. You do not want a high resistance here.
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Remove the control box and, please, save for a friend who is a purist!
AT THE OLD GENERATOR:
You will find two wires, Brown/Green and Brown/Yellow. Disconnect them from the generator and leave in place. Remove and save the generator.
AT THE NEW ALTERNATOR:
On the side of the case, you will find two spade lugs recessed into the body. The lugs are identified on the body of the alternator as 1 & 2. You will need a plug (connector) for these. These plugs are readily available at an auto supply store, usually in a package hanging on the pegboard display rack in the electrical section, and usually identified as an alternator extension connector, or something similar. If not, the counter man will know what you are looking for. There will be two short wires already connected to the plug.
On the back of the case, you will find an insulated screw terminal. Connect the Brown/Green wire to the plug wire going to the # 1 terminal, using a butt connector, or splice, solder, and insulate with heat shrink tubing. The plug is keyed, and will only go in one way. Connect the other lead from the plug (#2) to the screw terminal on the back of the alternator case, along with the larger Brown/Yellow lead from the original harness, using ring terminals.
Both the larger Brown/Yellow wire and the wire from terminal #2 connect to the screw terminal.
You are finished!
There are two things, however, to be aware of:
1) Triumph did funny things when they built these cars, so your car might not match the configuration above, and it may well have been modified by a previous owner.
2) You now have an alternator capable of more than twice the output of your old generator, but the wiring capacity has not changed. If you add heavy loads, driving lights, high power stereo, etc, you can exceed the capacity of the wires. Also, If you let the battery discharge completely, the alternator can possibly recharge with enough current to overload the wires. If your battery is completely discharged, recharge it with a charger rather than push starting the car and letting the alternator recharge it. Under all other usages, the wiring should not present a problem. The main advantage of the higher output is the ability to provide a higher charge rate at low RPM and idle. The standard loads on the Spitfire and the GT6 do not require a higher charge current at normal engine speeds, so the alternator will not be called on to provide enough current to overload the wires.
METHOD TWO (Upgraded wiring):
If you wish to upgrade the wiring to take advantage of the higher output, it is really quite simple.
-------------------------------------------- AS ABOVE, EXCEPT:
Cut off both ends of the larger Brown/Yellow wire - at the old generator and at the control box - as close to the wire harness wrapping as possible (or, unwrap the harness, and remove the wire all-together). Connect the 3 Brown wires together at the control box.
Instead of connecting the larger Brown/Yellow wire to the new alternator, add a new wire of at least 10 Ga (8 Ga preferred). Connect one end to the screw terminal at the alternator, and the other end to the terminal on the starter solenoid where the main cable from the battery and 2 Brown wires are now connected. Leave the existing Brown wires at the solenoid connected. Very carefully route this new wire alongside the existing wiring harness, and use cable ties liberally for support.
Now, the alternator can provide full charging current without worrying about burning up the wiring.
If you wish to add extra loads, such as a high power sound system, connect them directly to the battery connection at the starter solenoid - properly fused, of course.
OPTIONS:
You may wish to add a voltmeter. If so, simply connect the plus terminal of the voltmeter to any convenient green wire, and connect the minus terminal to a good ground point. One side of the illumination lamp inside the voltmeter should be connected to the most convenient Red/White wire, and the other side should connect to a good ground point (Unless the lamp is grounded to the meter case. If it is, ensure that the case is properly grounded to the metal dash structure).
You may also choose to use a different alternator, rather than the GM unit. If so, it will be wired very similarly to the above, only the connections at the alternator itself will be different.
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And this from Ryan Smith:
The NAPA number is 13-4011 (with A & B variants for clock position) for a 63A alternator.
The 42A family is 13-4010 (A & B).
Vegaman Dan writes on 6/23/99:
The model number of the GM alternator one desires for any practical conversion is: 7127. That's an industry standard parts replacement number any parts store can cross reference... it's often the same number across different rebuilders. Ah, but then you get to choose the CLOCK position for the terminals. They come at 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, and 9 o'clock. This means when you are looking at the back of the alternator with the adjustment bolt hole straight up and the pivot point on the bottom, the terminals on the back are in one of these four positions. All work equally well and only make a difference where you want the wires to exit the alternator itself. This is handy in case you have a bracket or something else that might interfere with it. If this alternator is going to be mounted on the port side (left) of the engine, then choose 9 o'clock. If it's on the other side, go for 3 o'clock.
The numbers for those positions are configured as:
7127c
7127-3c
7127-6c
7127-9c
All these alternators are the standard 63 amperage models used on all GM vehicles with internally regulated alternators in production from 1971-1979. In 1980, a lot of the alternators used on the front wheel drive models (Citation, Skylark, Phoenix, Cavalier, etc) look identical but have metric threads for the mountings. They are also much more expensive. The vehicles with A/C often came with an 85 amp model that is overkill for a Spitfire.
-Vegaman Dan
Nikolai Jaremka says:
NAPA has the G< #7127 alternator and the part number is NAPA #213-4011.
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