For all y'all's information: I have a '30-'31 F*rd coupe hot rod with a flathead V8 that I built over more than a few years. Fun car. Love to drive it. It has an original style generator converted to 12V that I bought at the Hershey swap meet many years ago. The charging system on this car has been problematic for many years, never being reliable. I just couldn't seem to keep a voltage regulator for more than a year, sometimes less and it never really worked all that well anyway. After consulting with several auto electric rebuilders this winter, the general consensus was that the new electromechanical voltage regulators available at parts houses are junk. One rebuilder told me that when a customer asks that he source a VR, he orders THREE of them because the quality is so bad. Last fall, my VR went out again. I ordered a new one. Dead out of the box, So was the second one. So was the third. I don;' even put them on the car when I get them. I bring the VR and the gennie to a local rebuilder to have the VR tested on his bench first. So I went on a quest to find an electronic replacement and found Larry Hagemeister, who converts the old style electromechanical VR's to full electronic. He's awesome. He also agrees that the QC on new electromechanical VR's is terrible. My hot rod now charges like it NEVER has before and even the lights work better. It has taken the worry out of driving it for any distance. Check this video out. Nicest guy you ever want to talk to. His company does it all. 6V, 12V, 8V, negative or positive ground, cars, trucks, farm equipment, regulators, generators, alternators, etc. When the VR goes out on my truck (because it eventually will), Larry will be getting another call. Andy
The fully electronic VR on my 52 Hudson Wasp was built ~25 years ago by (the late) Bob Jeffers of Wilton Auto Electric. He built electronic distributors and VR's for seemingly every vehicle my Dad restored. Same thing- 6V, 12V, positive ground, negative ground. Didn't matter. Dad mentioned brighter headlights too.
