doni10 Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 Hi, have spent the day in a pick n' pull searching for, amongst other things, a new alternator. Thank you for the amazing write up about the 3G conversion, it like so much on this forum has been incredibly useful. My question is, that all the 160amp alternators I found today seemed to require a serpentine belt set-up, Is it possible to find any with a v belt pulley? Thanks 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 You can easily put a v-belt pulley on a 3G w/a serpentine pulley. I've done it. Jim did it. You will need a small shim behind the v-belt pulley, as discussed on the Choosing An Alternator tab on the 3G conversion page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doni10 Posted December 5, 2020 Author Share Posted December 5, 2020 You can easily put a v-belt pulley on a 3G w/a serpentine pulley. I've done it. Jim did it. You will need a small shim behind the v-belt pulley, as discussed on the Choosing An Alternator tab on the 3G conversion page. Hi Gary, Thanks! Sorry if I missed that in the write up. Will get busy searching again :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 Hi Gary, Thanks! Sorry if I missed that in the write up. Will get busy searching again :) Doni, the 3G alternators were not released until the 1990's. I don't believe any vehicle came with one that was driven by a V-belt. A very few were 95A alternators, most were rated at 130A. This can be determined at a glance by the number of holes visible within the three pair of front ribs on the case. The 95A units were 130mm in diameter where the 130A version is 148mm. Not certain if Ford ever released a 160A version, although the 130 can *peak* that high the rectifier won't last long at that output. *autocorrect* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
85lebaront2 Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 Doni, the 3G alternators were not released until the 1990's. I don't believe any vehicle came with one that was driven by a V-belt. A very few were 95A alternators, most were rated at 130A. This can be determined at a glance by the number of holes visible within the three pair of front ribs on the case. The 95A units were 130mm in diameter where the 130A version is 148mm. Not certain if Ford ever released a 160A version, although the 130 can *peak* that high the rectifier won't last long at that output. *autocorrect* There are uprated ones available, I can't recall right off who made them, as for lasting, mine has been on Darth for 9 or 10 years, I have changed one regulator and one set of brushes in that time. I bought it and the cable from a fellow in CA on FTE who needed the money, it had never been installed. Running a V-belt you may want a slightly larger pulley and possibly the "soft start" regulator to prevent belt squeal on startup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 There are uprated ones available, I can't recall right off who made them, as for lasting, mine has been on Darth for 9 or 10 years, I have changed one regulator and one set of brushes in that time. I bought it and the cable from a fellow in CA on FTE who needed the money, it had never been installed. Running a V-belt you may want a slightly larger pulley and possibly the "soft start" regulator to prevent belt squeal on startup. Yes, the soft start, aka LRC, regulator is a very good call, Bill. My 130a 3G squealed the serpentine/polygroove belt on the first start each day until I installed the LRC. A 2.5 second LRC did the trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_S85 Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 You can buy new ones with V belt pulleys already installed or you can swap your old pulley. If you swap you will have to either move your washer on the back side or source a alternator pulley shim to move the V belt pulley off the case. Im going to be doing the same thing myself when I get around to finishing my motor build but the only thing that is holding me up on buying my parts is the belts, Im trying to find a quality Goodyear V belt for my alternator as they used to make the gatorback belts which would grab tighter and tighter the hotter the belt got helping to reduce belt slip. Goodyear doesnt offer this any more but they do offer generic belts that have a higher friction rate than the gatorbacks did the only problem is trying to find the proper belt so it will sit properly in the pulley. I tried getting help from goodyear but they just want to toss me around from person to person that cant help and answer my question for a belt size recommendation. So once I figure it out and find one that fits and can verify its fitment I will update my fuel injection post on here with the information of what belt I decided on for the alternator with the hopes of reducing the chance of slippage with the large case 3G alternator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_S85 Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 Yes, the soft start, aka LRC, regulator is a very good call, Bill. My 130a 3G squealed the serpentine/polygroove belt on the first start each day until I installed the LRC. A 2.5 second LRC did the trick. I ordered the F5RU-10316-BA LRC myself, from all the reading Ive done this is supposed to be a 6-7 second LRC the slowest that I could find Ford offered on the 3G alternator. I believe this was the one that was found on many Lincolns of the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 Yes, the soft start, aka LRC, regulator is a very good call, Bill. My 130a 3G squealed the serpentine/polygroove belt on the first start each day until I installed the LRC. A 2.5 second LRC did the trick. I ordered the F5RU-10316-BA LRC myself, from all the reading Ive done this is supposed to be a 6-7 second LRC the slowest that I could find Ford offered on the 3G alternator. I believe this was the one that was found on many Lincolns of the time. I'm pretty sure this is the one I sent to Gary, but he's claiming 2.5 seconds. I actually think it's 2.5 seconds to respond and a six second ramp-up, but I'd like to get a better understanding. Do you have any facts you could share Rusty? ***This is the seller I bought from: https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-OEM-FORD-REGULATOR-REPLACES-F5RU-10316-BA-F5RU-10316-AA-GR818-F786-/291992720149?redirect=mobile You can see what specs they call out in the description. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratdude747 Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 Doni, the 3G alternators were not released until the 1990's. I don't believe any vehicle came with one that was driven by a V-belt. A very few were 95A alternators, most were rated at 130A. This can be determined at a glance by the number of holes visible within the three pair of front ribs on the case. The 95A units were 130mm in diameter where the 130A version is 148mm. Not certain if Ford ever released a 160A version, although the 130 can *peak* that high the rectifier won't last long at that output. *autocorrect* In my experience (at least for my '95 ranger) I've found the opposite to be true. 95A was the norm, and 130A the "rare option". In the aftermarket they make a 200A 3G as well. The best way to tell which you have is by the rib holes (as mentioned). 4 small holes is 95A, two large holes is 130A. Dunno about the 200A aftermarket... I didn't need that much, so I went with a JY 130 (which ended up being a dud, and served as a core for a reman unit). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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