Hi all,

Time for a new alternator: maybe? Had couple issues starting her up. Got her started, disconnected positive terminal, engine stopped. Assuming its alternator. Any preference on place to purchase? Corvette suppliers; Ecklers, Zip, Corvette Central, Paragon, NAPA, Auto Zone, Advanced Auto?  63 amp. Plug with two wires onto. Thanks for any suggestions.

Thanks

Try to make sure it was done the US.

1973 L-82 4 spd

If not having the car judged, then any supplier's alternator will suffice. Just be warned that it may take more than one to get one that works any better than the one you have! I once changed alternators on one of my cars in the parking lot of the parts house THREE TIMES before I got one that actually worked! That was after getting TWO before that that dint work. It's a crap shoot, but most have lifetime, or similar warranties. Don't go for the cheapest, but you probably don't need the most expensive, either. Might consider going to a higher amp unit while you're at it. Never hurts to have extra power available. 

On a side note, I'm not fond of removing battery cables to "test" an alternator, especially on a car with electronics such as your '78. Electrical surges can damage some components(including the alternator itself), and now you have more problems than just an alternator. I recommend getting a volt/multi-meter to check charging system voltages...you can get decent multi-meters fairly cheap these days, and one will come in handy more than you think. 🙂

Joel Adams
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"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

And if you get one that was made overseas and it works, it probably won't work for long.  😡

1973 L-82 4 spd

Years ago I was buying an alternator for my truck, and the two options were:  30 day or lifetime warranty.  I asked what the difference was and they said "the 30 day is an alternator that was exchanged and tested good, so no work was done on it.  The lifetime was actually rebuilt." 

As said above, unless you’re getting it judged I’d dump the old 63 amp unit and get something more modern that puts out more juice. I upgraded to a 120 amp CS144 alternator.  Same size as the original 10SI you have, so mounting is just a matter of swapping pulleys and ‘clocking’ the housing to get the mount ears in the right orientation.

The big advantage is that it produces much more of its potential amperage at idle. For me, I needed that because I knew I was installing electric cooling fans and idle is when those are most likely to kick on. 

Do some searching on the subject, it’s a common upgrade and there’s a ton of info out there on exactly how to do the swap. 

Thanks to all for the advice.

Kenny78