6 replies to this topic

[soulslinga]

hello. i have a '65 countryman wagon that is pretty much all original, engine, paint, 850cc, positive ground. its in the shop right now getting a bit of serious work done, new engine gaskets, water pump, battery, carboreratour, fan belt, oil leaks, also needs a generator. it has value in being original i think (i am in the USA where this car is very rare), it certainly is not restored, this is the most work i've ever done on it, owned for about 4 years. 

 

i have to order parts today and am suddenly feeling pressure to do a negative ground conversion in the face of buying a new generator. i would buy the alternator conversion kit, slightly less than a generator.

 

some concerns i have, why i DO want to convert: 

- i'm told the car will run better with an alternator. i cant be sure of root causes but i def have had issues with battery related stalls. 

- i would like to add some accessories one day - under dash heat and ac, discreet speaker/audio

 

some concerns i have why i DONT want to convert

- mainly lol i'm paying my mechanic hourly. he gave me an initial estimate of $2000 for this work, which is a huge amount to me already. an investment in the car. he can do the conversion - but is this going to be a whole rabbit hole, of me returning to the shop time and again for help with brake lights and things like that? its likely that any work related to this, i will have to bring to the shop, as i am still learning . 

- there are some aftermarket gauges and switches installed by a previous owner in the 70's / 80's. one of them i had hooked up to turn the heat on and off (heat works inconsistently tho). will these few aftermarket bits stop working on a negative ground conversion? 

- the car is original and as is, beyond the repairs that i've had to do. its charming in a way that it is positive ground. long term investment wise, what is the opinion? after the car is running solid, i was planning on leaving the rusty old original paint job, and restoring the inside to similar to original (trim is good, just needs carpet). 

 

just looking for opinions. appreciate it! 

[Spider]

It you are wanting negative ground, you can do this with a Dynamo, it's quite easy. Swap the battery connections around, then find the terminal on the Dynamo marked F, disconnect the wire from that, attach a temporary wire to it, than briefly connect that to the Battery +. It will spark a bit when you do this, that's normal. It literally only needs an ON and OFF, as quick as that and the Dynamo is then Negative Earth. Take the Temporary wire off and reconnect the F terminal - job done.

 

If you are wanting to keep your wagon original, then sure, you'll want to keep the Dynamo in it, but converting to an Alternator can be done in a way that's completely reversible, so it's not a 'no turning back' modification.

The Dynamos have very poor output at low engine speeds and if your battery is weak, it can lead to poor running / stalling at idle speeds. The other down side of a Dynamo is their output is only low - 20 Amps, so you're very limited in what accessories you can run. One up-side of a Dynamo is you can still bump start the car with a dead flat battery, you can't do that with an Alternator.

 

If considering converting, there's a few ways you can go about that. You can get am Alternator Bracket and an Alternator (ACR15 or ACR17 is popular) and these would be less than $200 to but new. It's about 1 - 2 hours work for a DYI'er, and should be less than an hour for a commercial shop. There was an option when buying a Mini new in the day from about 61 or 62 to order them with an Alternator, I think these were an 11AC unit and used an external regulator (4TR), if you wanted to source those parts, then it would appear completely original. These Alternators were odd in that they were Positive Earth.

There's also a Dynalite type of Alternator available these days. They are an Alternator that's built in to a Dynamo body, so they look 'right' but have a better output. These are fairly expensive though.

Depending on what Alternator you get, outputs from these vary from 28 amps to 70 amps. If swapping to an alternator, there is a small wiring change yo need to do to by-pass the Regulator, but again, this can be done so it's reversible and I seem to recall there's dummy units available that are plug and play.

 

Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to swap to an Alternator, I doubt I'd go for a Dynalite type though, but I'm not one to leave things as original either !

[soulslinga]

i appreciate the thought out answer, thank you! Will dive into these ideas a bit. thanks again. @spider

Edited by soulslinga, 07 December 2021 - 10:23 PM.

[jomaoliveira79]

The technical side has been perfectly described (as always) by the user "Spider".
Here are my thoughts, having an 850 Mk1 and with Dinamo/Generator, positive ground converted:
If you intend to fit large consumption accessories go the Alternator way.
I fitted fog lights to my car, barely used, and fitted a larger battery (74 amp- yes they fit if you trim base edges) to be safe, and never felt any problems at all.
Positive ground makes easier fitting modern accessories.
Vintage cars tipically keep or increase their value being as original as possible and minis can also be fun and usable as they left the factory.
Strongly advise fitting a voltmeter to check charging system and a new wire harness (Autosparks makes them as originally made) to prevent short or open circuits.

[Andosoft]

I took the internals out of the Dynamo and connected the required terminals together, so the box and wires stay in place and it looks original, then added the alternator. With a replacement dynamo, completely reversible, no other wires altered or affects on any other electrics. Keep your original dynamo and pick up a cheap 2nd hand one to strip.

Look for “classic mini alternator conversion” on here or the googles, there are a few article explaining the terminals to connect in the dynamo.

[soulslinga]

will keep the old dynamo. good idea. thanks!

 

I took the internals out of the Dynamo and connected the required terminals together, so the box and wires stay in place and it looks original, then added the alternator. With a replacement dynamo, completely reversible, no other wires altered or affects on any other electrics. Keep your original dynamo and pick up a cheap 2nd hand one to strip.

Look for “classic mini alternator conversion” on here or the googles, there are a few article explaining the terminals to connect in the dynamo.

[Spider]

Here's a link to the Dynalite unit that would suit your Traveler;-

 

https://www.powerlit...tes/rac006.html

 

They have fitting instructions that show you which terminals in the Control Box to bridge;-

 

https://www.powerlit...uctions_40a.pdf

 

Or, they also have 'Dummy' Control Boxes, but a little pricey;-

 

https://www.powerlit...es/rb106xb.html

 

Here's a unit fitted up to a Mini;-

 

https://www.powerlit...ng-example.html