Gopher Baroque
New User
My mixmaster IH 444 (early 444 engine/trans with 2444 body and loader) came with a minimal electrical system and original Delco 10DN alternator. After rewiring it to restore lighting and instrumentation, I figured out the alternator was not charging. Diagnosis suggested starting with the regulator, as jumping the field coils got alternator voltage up to 13.6. I tried a couple of replacement solid-state regulators but only went from "no alternator lamp" to "always alternator lamp" and no charging. Hmm, how about removing the alternator and taking it in for a bench test? I managed to break a bit of the mounting lug trying to get the extremely rusted bolt out. Well, poo on that, let's just replace the whole kit and kaboodle with a Delco 10SI internal regulator alternator. The several GM vehicles I have had with this unit all ran with no alternator problems.
I ended up choosing the common part number, AC-Delco 321-43, Lester 7127-12. A common application for this alternator is, “1977 Pontiac Grand Prix, 8cylinder 5.7L (350R) engine” (H.B.L. = Heated Back Light–meaning rear window defroster)” or “1980 Chevrolet Truck C10 1/2 ton P/U 2WD 5.7L 4BL OHV 8cyl”. This provides the adequate 63amp rating with 12:00 o’clock orientation to match the outgoing unit. I ordered this through my local Autozone: Duralast Remanufactured Alternator DL7127-12M and also a new signal connector: Duralast Alternator Connector 205. The unit delivered turned out to be metric. The tension bolt is 10mm x 1.25mm but a 1/2″ wrench fits the hex head fine. Battery terminal is a small bother at 10mm hex, but I decided to just use it as-is for now. The cooling fan seemed to stick out rather far from the case, so I turned a new spacer ring that is 0.050" shorter to move the fan and pulley that much far further aft / closer to the case (I ended up with about 0.015" clearance. Snug but no rubbing.) I also recycled my old fan as it has slightly longer blades to reduce tip clearance to the case. The other trick is that the mounting lug has a very loose oversize hole. The unit came with a thin strip of metal tape, but it didn't really do much for alignment. I replaced that with a custom tube that was pressed into the mounting lug, then finish-drilled to 3/8" for a sliding fit to the mounting bolt (which I cut from a longer bolt to have unthreaded shank through the mounting bracket). The combination of these two adjustments aligned the alternator pulley "by eye" for fore-aft position and angle with respect to the crankshaft and water pump pulleys. These custom parts, along with the tools for removing/replacing the fan/pulley, are shown in the attached photo.
The alternator connector is correct for rewiring the charging circuit to the new alternator. The white wire runs to the alternator light on the dash, as energized by the ignition circuit. The red wire was run directly to the battery (taking advantage of the wire tap provided with the positive battery cable) to get the most direct battery voltage reading. I recycled the fat battery wire from the original rewire (it goes to the battery terminal on the starter solenoid).
What a relief that firing up the tractor with this new system yielded 14.6 volts out of the box. My tractor re-wire is a success!
I ended up choosing the common part number, AC-Delco 321-43, Lester 7127-12. A common application for this alternator is, “1977 Pontiac Grand Prix, 8cylinder 5.7L (350R) engine” (H.B.L. = Heated Back Light–meaning rear window defroster)” or “1980 Chevrolet Truck C10 1/2 ton P/U 2WD 5.7L 4BL OHV 8cyl”. This provides the adequate 63amp rating with 12:00 o’clock orientation to match the outgoing unit. I ordered this through my local Autozone: Duralast Remanufactured Alternator DL7127-12M and also a new signal connector: Duralast Alternator Connector 205. The unit delivered turned out to be metric. The tension bolt is 10mm x 1.25mm but a 1/2″ wrench fits the hex head fine. Battery terminal is a small bother at 10mm hex, but I decided to just use it as-is for now. The cooling fan seemed to stick out rather far from the case, so I turned a new spacer ring that is 0.050" shorter to move the fan and pulley that much far further aft / closer to the case (I ended up with about 0.015" clearance. Snug but no rubbing.) I also recycled my old fan as it has slightly longer blades to reduce tip clearance to the case. The other trick is that the mounting lug has a very loose oversize hole. The unit came with a thin strip of metal tape, but it didn't really do much for alignment. I replaced that with a custom tube that was pressed into the mounting lug, then finish-drilled to 3/8" for a sliding fit to the mounting bolt (which I cut from a longer bolt to have unthreaded shank through the mounting bracket). The combination of these two adjustments aligned the alternator pulley "by eye" for fore-aft position and angle with respect to the crankshaft and water pump pulleys. These custom parts, along with the tools for removing/replacing the fan/pulley, are shown in the attached photo.
The alternator connector is correct for rewiring the charging circuit to the new alternator. The white wire runs to the alternator light on the dash, as energized by the ignition circuit. The red wire was run directly to the battery (taking advantage of the wire tap provided with the positive battery cable) to get the most direct battery voltage reading. I recycled the fat battery wire from the original rewire (it goes to the battery terminal on the starter solenoid).
What a relief that firing up the tractor with this new system yielded 14.6 volts out of the box. My tractor re-wire is a success!
