Latest in the terminator alternator saga

01yellercobra

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Which kit and from what online store?

I honestly don't remember. I don't have the computer that had the link saved anymore. And to be honest I'm not overly impressed any more. Now I see my dash lights flickering a little when the bass hits hard even when I'm going down the freeway. And I'm only running a 500w amp. I have a 160amp that was rebuilt locally waiting to go in.
 

Black Gold 380R

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I honestly don't remember. I don't have the computer that had the link saved anymore. And to be honest I'm not overly impressed any more. Now I see my dash lights flickering a little when the bass hits hard even when I'm going down the freeway. And I'm only running a 500w amp. I have a 160amp that was rebuilt locally waiting to go in.

Knock on wood, I'm still running factory alternators in both my Cobra's. I have a pretty good stereo system in my Coupe. However, there is no way I'm paying around $500 for an alternator. So, "when" my factory alternators go out I will be having them rebuilt.
 

94 Cobra R

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I honestly don't remember. I don't have the computer that had the link saved anymore. And to be honest I'm not overly impressed any more. Now I see my dash lights flickering a little when the bass hits hard even when I'm going down the freeway. And I'm only running a 500w amp. I have a 160amp that was rebuilt locally waiting to go in.

Yeah, I need to find someone reliable to rebuild here.
 

01yellercobra

AKA slo984now
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Knock on wood, I'm still running factory alternators in both my Cobra's. I have a pretty good stereo system in my Coupe. However, there is no way I'm paying around $500 for an alternator. So, "when" my factory alternators go out I will be having them rebuilt.

AFAIK the first alternator I replaced was the original. It had a touch over 100K on it when it died. It really seems like the luck of the draw with these things. I was talking to a guy last night that has had 3 Nations go bad on him. I think he's running a J2Fab right now and it has it's issues too. So at this point I'll just keep a spare stock style floating around.
 

wckdvnm

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There was a guy on Facebook selling a 3G case that fit in the stock location with modifying the bracket that I saw and it was $250 for a 160 amp or some number. He claims it solves the overheating problems with the alt.
There is also a local company that makes the exact same alts as J2 fab for half the price WITH powder coating. Anyone local to SoCal wouldn’t need to ship, I think he charges $25 shipping.
 

94 Cobra R

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There was a guy on Facebook selling a 3G case that fit in the stock location with modifying the bracket that I saw and it was $250 for a 160 amp or some number. He claims it solves the overheating problems with the alt.
There is also a local company that makes the exact same alts as J2 fab for half the price WITH powder coating. Anyone local to SoCal wouldn’t need to ship, I think he charges $25 shipping.

Ken Miley out of st Augustine sells the 3g.

J2 is custom, not sure how someone is selling the exact same. Who is it?


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wckdvnm

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Ken Miley out of st Augustine sells the 3g.

J2 is custom, not sure how someone is selling the exact same. Who is it?


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The internals of the J2 fab alts are just denso off the shelf parts kits that have been powder coated. The new kit he released can be purchased (270A). I will have to try to find it but it’s a big alternator rebuilder located in Riverside, CA. The owner offered me a tour of his warehouse since I grilled him on the alts just because I thought he was trying to peddle cheap alts to the mustang community. Found out the J2 alts use the same denso parts. He even offered to do external regulator, custom color, pulley change to the larger which at the time he was claiming was included (never got to check on that just yet since I’m waiting for mine to die). He said a stock rebuild is $85 for the original amp rating and the upgrade to a 170 was $185 out the door no core charge.

Found the name of the company it is autotech engineering. It’s a older company from Washington that moved here years ago. He says that there is a kit out for our alternator to go to 300 amp but it would be pointless to go over the 270 amp range.
 
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94 Cobra R

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Over 4000 positive reviews, nothing negative in the past 12 months, eBay seller since 2004. Seems pretty solid. Quoted me $210, shipped, for a hairpin style alternator.
 

04torchred

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I think its good people quote mileage driven on their alternators over years.

I ran stock for quite a while, I went through two stock alternators in 60,000 miles. The current alternator is a locally rebuilt 190-200a unit. Found a shop that had been around for 20+ years and went to them.
 

wckdvnm

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Over 4000 positive reviews, nothing negative in the past 12 months, eBay seller since 2004. Seems pretty solid. Quoted me $210, shipped, for a hairpin style alternator.

Yeah he builds alts for high amp draw cars that are local for sound system builds. He had a camary alt that pushed 190 amp at 2k and was making 175 at idle. Couldn’t see why anyone would need that amp out of a camary but you never know lol. He’s going to be the guy I get my next alt from simply due to his cost and nothing but good reviews I’ve heard from them.
 

NMB2

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The internals of the J2 fab alts are just denso off the shelf parts kits that have been powder coated. The new kit he released can be purchased (270A). I will have to try to find it but it’s a big alternator rebuilder located in Riverside, CA. The owner offered me a tour of his warehouse since I grilled him on the alts just because I thought he was trying to peddle cheap alts to the mustang community. Found out the J2 alts use the same denso parts. He even offered to do external regulator, custom color, pulley change to the larger which at the time he was claiming was included (never got to check on that just yet since I’m waiting for mine to die). He said a stock rebuild is $85 for the original amp rating and the upgrade to a 170 was $185 out the door no core charge.

Found the name of the company it is autotech engineering. It’s a older company from Washington that moved here years ago. He says that there is a kit out for our alternator to go to 300 amp but it would be pointless to go over the 270 amp range.

Sam Desantos is not being honest with you about the J2Fab unit. I was made aware by a customer of his claims that you are now repeating in here.

I called the supplier that he buys his housings from to confirm what components he is purchasing. I then called Sam himself as a secret shopper to see what he had to say.

Sams business model is to prop himself up as some type of Robin Hood by offering the "exact" same as the bigger names without charging for a name. He bashed J2, Nations, Mechman, and Singer to me on the phone, claiming us all to be either middle men or basic OEM builders.

I can tell you with absolute certainty that what he is selling you is not what you are getting from J2. I know this firstly because of his pricing. The parts in a J2 unit cost more than what he is charging for a complete unit.

Secondly, I asked him specifics about what is inside of his and how it was the same as J2. This confirmed my suspicions that it is most certainly not the same.

After I outlined the differences with him between the J2 and his he could only muster up... "well, I was not aware of that, but mine will still do the same thing"

He is using an OEM Denso rotor. J2Fab is not. The J2 rotor is lower resistance and larger diameter. This is what is required to hit the rated Amp outputs and such high idle outputs.

He is using an OEM Denso stator. Once again, J2 is a custom wind. OEM denso stators do not perform the way that the aftermarket winds do.

Bearings. I would suspect he is using WBD based on my convo with our supplier. J2Fab uses only Koyo and NSK premium. I spin these units to 25,000rpm...there is no place to cheap out on bearings.

Last, but certainly not least..... Rectifiers. He is using cheap, bottom of the barrel aluminum rectifier plates with cheap 40/50a diodes.

All high end hairpin units...be it J2Fab, Excessive Amperage, Singer, JS......all of us. We ALL use solid copper rectifier plates with a different diode, and many of us, myself included, uses press fit 70A diodes.

If you want to know whats in a J2 unit and how it differs from others, call or email and ask.

Getting your information from somebody using the J2 brand in a way to prop up their cheap alternative just gets you misinformation.

Since the launch of the J2 hairpin, there has been about 250-260 units put out into production.

Aside from some of the belt alignment quirks and wiring quirks from the first batch that were solved there has been ZERO failures or warranty claims of any kind.
 
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V6&V8SHO

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Too bad they don’t make brackets for you guys to flip the alternator around to run on the accessory drive. Zero issues on my Eaton now vmp swap 01 in that setup in the past 4-5 years on a factory ford alternator.
 

03cobraracer

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I think if you go with J2 or nations you should be fine. I recently did the 200amp nations and have no complaints. But I don’t have a ton of miles on it yet so I can’t comment on longevity. My last alternator lasted 100k miles and it was stock.
 

Racingsoul1977

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There was a guy on Facebook selling a 3G case that fit in the stock location with modifying the bracket that I saw and it was $250 for a 160 amp or some number. He claims it solves the overheating problems with the alt.
There is also a local company that makes the exact same alts as J2 fab for half the price WITH powder coating. Anyone local to SoCal wouldn’t need to ship, I think he charges $25 shipping.
Can you send me that info 909???

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lemosley01

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I called the supplier that he buys his housings from to confirm what components he is purchasing. I then called Sam himself as a secret shopper to see what he had to say.

You called a supplier of a competitor and that supplier told you what he sells to the competitor? Maybe I'm misunderstanding you, but that seems pretty sketchy on the suppliers part.
 

Cobra10thaniv

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My oem alternator finally went bad. Car is a garage queen. No big amp draw radio or anything else. So no need for me to put some huge high amp replacement in. I don't even need lights no night time driving. I just want reliable even voltage.

I had rebuilt many many alternators in distant past. My needs were more not high amp but good components for the rebuild. All parts are not created equal.

Because I have not rebuilt an alternator in years ( jrgoffin ) had done tons of research on parts and what our alternator is. An exploded parts list of cobra, Mach and other alternators. This was huge help NOT wasting time researching parts and differences!

Thanks jrgoffin!! I'd msg you but can get my msgs to work on here

My tag on my original alternator said 130amp. FYI they are not 130amp ! Parts inside were 105 /110 amp.
1) Pulled it apart found a few things. 6 diode inside. And for ease of understanding let's say 3 pos an 3 neg. The 3 neg ones were all blown. High resistance through grounding possibly..
2) Also these diode were extremely small compared to old alternators I've done. FYI diode are not all created equal in Construction and internal composition.

3) I used rebuilder in a box.com for parts awesome compant.... $50 bucks. Upgraded high amp stator $60. I opted not to use the bearing they sent on backend of case use a better grade. Just personal preference.

4) My inner slip ring barely I mean barely had wear. Rather than replace it even though I had new one in hand. I put it on the lathe touched it up..

5) If your wondering why? Even if I put the new slip ring on ...I'd still put it on lathe touch up because after pressing new slip rings on I've found they are eccentric. I've seen brush wires break at back of brush in that tight spot. From brushes moving back an forth. Was it absolutely necessary.... no.

6) rebuilder in a box.com offers a upgraded stator that gives you anther 30 amps and rectifier has a 8 diodes vs 6. Rectifier was on a aluminum plate vs copper but so was the OE. When you order the upgraded stator they even solder on the rectifier on for you.

7) If your a diy person it can be done easy. If you never rebuilt one b4 I would tell you to watch rebuilder in a box 6g alternator videos.! He will tell you all little tricks so you don't bust anything. pay attention to the little stuff he shows. They all work.
.
8) when done if you're worried about your rebuild go to your local parts store have your alternator tested

Why did my alternator fail? Heat an corrosion on the grounding. Maybe low quailty oe parts What kills the alternator is high load an no air cooling.
You'll notice as any Electronics the regulator has cooling fins. I could see corrosion where the alternator was bolted down also resistance test verified this. A extra ground wire would be beneficial and All contacts clean

I would say make use of that brake duct to the alternator or just add a cooling scoop under the car to the alt.. !

I hope this was some help to someone

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