http://www.racemettleltd.co.uk/alternators.html

PowerLite lightweight Alternators are designed to reach into places "others" cannot! Weighing in at a skinny 3 Kg, and around 115 mm in diameter, these little alternators will help solve the eternal space problem many constructors have.

All PowerLite alternators are fitted with Single Wire connections as standard, have internal regulators and an integral system that draws air through the unit for cooling.

With 4 different bracket designs, lightweight pulleys in any dimension, and charging at a plentiful 45 or 55 amps, although up to 100 amps is possible, we are confident that one of our units will fit into any car.

Any prices on these?

I just bought an alt from the scrappies, Kia Pride ('92), its only 120mm diameter, 130mm long and the lugs are 12 & 6 o'clock - cost a fiver.

Still need to figure out how to wire it though!

Talking of alternators and having just had some fun at the scrappy getting bits for our Zetec conversion this might be useful and in the Locost spirt.

I removed a Nippon Denso alternator from a Suzuki Swift. This thing is tiny and contains it's own regulator. I believe this is the same as the Daihatsu Charade alternator people talk of. If you take a look in the Demon Tweeks catalogue they list 'Brise' competition altenators which are the same unit brand new at £169.

Strangely enough this little alternator is rated at 45 amps?? See a link here describing an install.

http://home-1.tiscali.nl/~svos/alternator.html

Cheers

yup that Nippon denso alternator is the baby to use.

We got ours from a daihatsu charade in the scrappies then went to a local lucas centre and got a pulley wheel to fit it that would take the vauxhall belt.

Wiring :

You obviously have the main live out to the starter (then onto the battery) Pin 3

Then the two terminals in a 'T' configuration



Pin 1 is your battery charge warning light
Pin 2 is a + feed from your ignition


HTH


Cheers

G

[Edited on 5/12/04 by Mr G]

are there any smaller ones. I'm getting a little tight for space.

I'm sure that alternators fromplant have been metioned before. Mini diggers and alike.

Also I've been told that one on the mitsubishi cars has a really small one (uh err)

Brother in laws mini digger uses the same nippon denso as those shown. I've seen them used on refrigerator truck motors as well. The only things I've seen that are smaller come in motorbike engines.

You aint gonna get much smaller than the Nippon Denso shown to be honest (at a reasonable cost anyway) and also still produce a half decent output! I'm not sure if the photo is making it look bigger than it actually is


Failing that forget the alternator and buy a lorry battery you charge up in the garage regular


Cheers


G

dihatsu charade ,suzuki vitara as mr g says you ain't gonna get much smaller about half the size and half the weight of the ford one I pay about a tenner for them at the scrappy

looks like I'm gonna be top mounting mine, or maybe face it backwards. The bloody great big V6 thing is tending to take too much of me room.