That was long before Wipac hit the market with the above projectors which are new right now. Half the lights available make the car look like a Noddy car. Like BiX the real trick is in the Lens and it's precise focus on the burner in the case of BiX or LED.

Light source would have been better wording than light bulb. Shield is the mandated dipping shield for ultra bright lights such as BiX or HILEDs. Remember it dips from the bottom because we are running through a lens that inverts things.

 

I am familiar with the Dynalite but I prefer Jagboi64's solution. I am sure my generator is worn out and the RB340 who knows. ( I do have a n.o.s. spare).
Retro-air in Dallas was selling a 70 amp alternator similar to Jagboi64. I think they went out of business.
Yes definitely an alternator is what I want, no more generator. My car has the factory power steering so I need the pump coupler business.
I am not sold on the Dynalite, 45 amps sounds weak, and the better one is too expensive. Cass might remember I ordered the C42 two years ago and two weeks later they told me they were out of stock but would have more in 8 weeks. I never reordered.
Thanks for the tips, I am just not into LEDs for a classic car.

 

Dynalite makes more powerful units. Your choice. I know you don't care about originality. JB's cobbled together unit might suit you just fine. Remember he had to manufacture that. It's up to you if you want to get into some manufacturing. JB does jobs like that easily. I can't imagine why you would want more than 45 amps in an S Type. Even if you had a whole trunk load of audio equipment. Class D amplifiers draw very little.

 

Nevertheless you are talking about going over the wiring capacity of the car. Why the crazies rewire for audio & the trunk lid vibrates to the frequencies fed to the subwoofer/s.

 

Another route and the one I'd favour is an alternator and an electric steering pump. Many of the Mk2 rack conversions use an electric pump. In Europe, the usual choice seems to be a TRW one used by GM on Astra/Kadet/Cavalier cars from a model cycle back. I'd guess that GM used it on something equivalent in the US. I think other makers such as Citroen and Fiat have also used electric pumps. I assume that it's possible to adjust the pressure from an electric pump by changing the pre-load on a spring in a similar way to an engine driven pump.

 

Absolutely Peter. Europe uses the Opel Astra/Vauxhall Astra PAS electric pump. I think Aus. does too.

 

Glyn, I have two excellent Lucas 60 amp spare alts from Series 3 XJ that would do better than the generatot, all I need is the coupler for the power steering pump, and maybe JB would fabricate it since he obviously knows what it takes, assuming the Lucas alt allows for coupling the pump.

 

That's fine ~ use one. Just be very careful to fuse everything with the correct fuses as you are exceeding the car's wiring capacity. JB is a long way away from Florida.

Remember:

Warning ~ Fuse values


Remember that Lucas fuse values of 35 & 50 amp etc are old British 1 second blow standard.

Fuses you buy today unless you order specially are American Carry Current rating.

In modern fuse values you should select a fuse of approx half the value of the Lucas rating shown in Jaguar Manuals.

e.g. Lucas Horn fuse = 50 Amps. In modern US rated glass fuses you should fit 25 to 30 amp.

Failure to do this could cause a fire in our car's wiring in case of a short.

 

At least, it's a laugh.

 

Sorry, I'm not in the fabrication business. For the time it would take me to do it again, the Dynalite conversion would be cheaper.

The XJ alternator isn't suitable, you need one from a diesel vehicle with a vacuum pump on the back. I took off the pump and then there is a shaft and coupler that can be adapted to the PAS pump, plus the mounting points are there for the adapter plate. Mine was a Chinese knockoff of a Hitatchi alternator for a 2004 Vaxuhall Astra 1.7, which I got from Ebay UK. It's rated at 70A, and I ran a heavy wire from the alt to the battery and let the rest of the wiring stay as it was for the original loads.

My main motivation was to avoid the dimming at idle, plus I needed clean DC power for the EFI conversion and the generator is particularly dirty power - lots of voltage and current dips and peaks, it isn't a steady voltage.

 

that alternator sounds like the one sold by retro air, came out of a diesel truck.

 

The only problem with generators is their output is low at low RPM. This does not apply to alternators.

 

LOL. He lucky it's not a Merc where forward looking camera's detect on-coming traffic etc. and locally dim minor segments of the multi micro LED (about 1000 segments per LED cluster and many more in some) so as not to blind anybody with no noticeable drop off in light. The microprocessor that controls this affair is complex to say the least. Similar to a 8K TV set with local dimming for good blacks & a punchy picture even with definition in dark areas.

 

As Glyn remarked, why do you need any more than a 45-amp alternator?
The alternator output is typically 14 volts but to keep it simple l'll stick to 12 volts.
Let's look at the heaviest lighting load on a typical MK1, MK2, S type and 420.
2 headlights on high beam@ 60 watts each = 120 watts
2 lucas fog rangers @ 50 watts each = 100 watts
2 brake lights @ 20 watts each = 40 watts
5 asst.tail, parking , number plate lights = 30 watts
Overall total wattage around =270 watts

270 watts at 12 volts is 22.5 amps. which is half the 45-amp capability of the alternator.
That leaves heaps of power available for other services such as heater motors, ignition and battery charging.

As an aside when my children were into their first cars, we had a couple of Datsun 120Y coupes (Nissan or Datsun 1200) for their use.
These had a miniscule 30-amp alternator giving 360 watts which was more than adequate for the electrical system (but we never fitted Lucas fog rangers.)
You could pick up one of these alternators in one hand which you couldn't do to a 30-amp Lucas generator.

 

Thanks Bill ~ a sane man at last.

 

You might add another 20 amps to Bill's numbers if the car has electric water and power steering pumps. But there is a battery to cope with intermittent extra demand.

 

I don't have a fax machine, printer, refrigerator or stove, only a Jaguar radio from XJ-6, no fog lamps, but 2 powerful quartz spot lamps instead and XJ-6 electric door mirrors. The rest is factory electronics.

If you all think a 45 amp alternator will do the job, I guess I will go with the Dynalite because Retro Aire is out of business.

 

To your list add fuel pumps, ignition, possibly a heater fan and now we're at 32-33 amps. If you fit an electric cooling fan, then you're out of amps. Some S Types have a heated rear window, and that draws a lot of power.

The 45A alternator will put out that much at higher RPM, but it won't at idle. Idle output will be in the 30-40% range of rated load, depending on the idle speed and pulley ratio. The main reason I fitted a larger alternator was to ensure electrical demand could be met at idle

 

For crying in a bucket. Dynalite makes a 60 amp unit if you don't want to listen to the sane that they will configure for you to take the Hobourn Eaton pump at no extra cost. Ever heard of a phone???

 

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