Gene, The 9D is the date code. It means it was made in April (D) of 1949 or 1959 (9). From what I have found this part number was discontinued in 1963. 1118 are the first 4 digits of the part number and 301 are the last 3 digits. The C may be a revision number but I'm not sure about that. Is this part for sale? If so, what is your price. Jeff
Thanks Jeff. That makes sense! I just did not want to assume. I appreciate the info. I have noticed that on some of the parts stampings, a LETTER will follow the “301” stamping. On another I have seen, the letter “E” follows the 301.
The one I have is not currently for sale. I acquired it last week in an UNOPENED DELCO REMY box. I am planning on keeping it as a spare for my 1946 Chevrolet 1/2 Pickup (all stock, 6volt with original rebuilt generator).
At the bottom of a Delco-Remy regulator spec sheet it refers to D, C, and other letters following the model type and references bulletin 1R-118 for more info. The footnote on the letter D refers to a specific air gap setting so the others probably do too but we would need bulletin 1R-118 to confirm. I know I have it here but can't find it at the moment.
So, based on this, did we determine that 301-C is a different AIRGAP setting? Which airgap and what is the different setting from the 301 with no letter suffix? Where should I look next? Randy Lackey
I haven't had time to read the Delco Remy bulletin that bloo posted. It maybe there but a fast glance did not find it. I would not mess with the air gap that came out of a sealed Delco box.
No wonder I couldn't find the footnote. Is it 1R-118 or 1R-180 we are looking for?
The airgap is part of a complete setup, if you were setting up a regulator that just had some points or other parts replaced, or a regulator that had evidence of someone bending things all out of whack. It is not something you would normally mess with during a routine minor adjustment. Only on a major overhaul would you do it, and even then, it has to be followed up with other settings, like points gap and voltage, or points gap and current if the work was done on the current relay.
If Delco is specifying a different air gap on some version of the regulator, the air gap is probably not the difference between the two versions. It more likely implies that the internal parts of the new regulator version are different, and a different air gap is needed to get the same characteristics as the old version.
The only adjustment you should need to make on a new regulator is voltage, and most of the time you shouldn't even need to do that. This is also true of an old regulator that has only just had it's points carefully cleaned.
On the 46 Chevrolet Pickup, today I installed the Delco Remy NOS 1118301C voltage regulator (out of the Delco sealed box), along with a completely rebuilt 1102667 generator. With a fully charged battery (still 6 v) and with the headlights on high beam and the heater fan on high, stock dash ammeter showed charging (3/4 reading).
With a voltage meter, at 1000 rpms steady, the battery voltage was slightly over 7.3 On the VR, the GEN connection read the same. On the generator A terminal, that was also about the same.
When I turned off the truck, battery voltage read 6.5. Am I missing anything?
The voltage sure seems right on target. The spec is 7.2 to 7.4 . The actual performance will vary with temperature. That was explained in the bulletin on the VR.
When you turned all the loads off what did the ammeter read while the engine was running? With a fully charged battery it should read just above neutral. That is primarily the load required for the ignition.
Another check is to watch the ammeter right after you start the engine. It should jump to a higher reading and then quickly drop back as the generator "replaces" the battery energy used to start the engine.
I assume that the ammeter reads neutral when you turned off the engine. That means the cutout in the VR is working.
I thought some more about this while I was driving the '37 to the gym to work out this evening. I think the new VR is working correctly. I think there is a problem with the wiring for your ammeter. It is not wired backwards.
I think you have the load wires on the same terminal as the wire to the battery. The load wires should be on the same terminal as the BAT wire from the VR.
Compare the wiring diagram for a '46 truck to your actual wiring. The terminal wire from the ammeter to the battery should also have only the horn wire on it.
One quick check is to turn on the headlights without the engine running. What does the ammeter do?
Additional info to previous answer. FROM THE REAR OF THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AND THE AMMETER… The right side ammeter terminal has two wires connected. One is the HORN and the other is the BLACK WIRE to the STARTER.
The left side ammeter terminal has the BAT WIRE from the VR, wire to LIGHT SWITCH and wire to IGNITION SWITCH (Key).
That matches FIG 66-Truck Wiring Diagram for 1946 pickups. Randy
Based on your notes it seems like the ammeter is wired correctly. What caught my attention is that I do not expect the ammeter to read a higher charge rate when the lights are on and the battery is close to a full charge.
The ammeter should show the net current flowing to or from the battery except for the horn and starter motor. The ammeter should not move when the horn blows or you crank the engine. The generator output will increase when the lights are turned on but the ammeter should not show that. The generator output is connected directly to the lights, heater fan, and ignition. That current does not flow the ammeter.
If my thinking is wrong hopefully one of the electrical gurus will help head me in the right direction.
Rusty is exactly right. The only current flowing through the ammeter should be going in or out of the battery.
Turning on the lights while the system is not charging (engine off) should read discharge, as current flows backwards through the ammeter to get to the lights.
Turning on the lights with the system charging (engine on and revved up a little), should make either no difference (if the system is 100% keeping up with the load of the lights), or it should show less charge (because the current for the lights is taken off before the ammeter, and only what is left over goes through the ammeter to get to the battery.
Thanks to both of you for your comments. I appreciate the “double-check”. The system under the new generator and VR is working just as you describe. No variations. Randy
