I spent five hours today washing and waxing the Vibe. Had to get some glamour shots afterwards..

Nice shots!  Ya know how we like pic's round here.

Hey there,

I've been off-line for a bit.

Been having charging issues with mine - only discovered after stopping to fuel up after a 3 hour drive & the car wouldn't start! Got battery checked & charged, but after checking incoming voltage was low. Back & forth to the auto elect it seems then new generator is fine. I replaced this when the motor was rebuilt, just because that way I know I've got a good working spare (the old one was working fine when it came off) & a brand new one on board.

Bad news - apparently the regulator was stuffed. Replaced this, but is still seems to be having issues (charging voltage as low as 11.6v at idle or above (but not constant?) So, It'll be going back I guess...🙄

Good news -  I got excited & advanced the timing a couple of degrees-wow, what a difference! It was fine before, but I just felt it was a little doughy. Not anymore 😈

When it was rebuilt the mechanic set it up at 6º btdc initially. Said it went like crazy, but the poor old original Hydramatic probably wouldn't survive the run-in period 😂 So it came back to me at 10º btdc. Anyway it can be a bit of a struggle on hot start (perfect cold), & didn't really jump off the line if it was a rolling start & not kicked down all the way. Not now, so pretty happy with that. Would like to try a little more, but don't have the funds for a tranny rebuild atm so best not I suppose 😬

Oh, I've been scammed recently too🤬 Cost me some cash, & probably more disappointing is the parts I thought I'd secured aren't on their way, fcuk it! So look out for Jody McCullough, he's a scammer (& a prick!), & DO NOT for any reason use a company called Fast Delivery Agency (in the US). And yes, they have their own website...

Have included a couple of recent photos & a video of the car, just because you guys like them 😉

 

 

wow ! a few highs and lows Paul !!

personally. if that generator isnt cutting the mustard, biff it! go grap a early commodor internally regulating alternator and delete the voltage regulator, its a major up grade !!! i am pretty sure they are delco reme brand on the vc-vk which is what you would find on a chev in the mid 80's

when it comes to scammers, you tell everyone you can, that way the f--ker will get caught out

its a sad world we live in now paul, scammers are the bottom feeders and they will always be there.

There is certainly something special about a four door pillarless... justA clean lines and that open feeling 

i used to have a 61 impala four door pillarless, back when i was a teenager,,, love that 327 and glide, orange paint, and the lass i was with at the time love cruising topless in it !!!  

Edited September 25, 20232 yr by 64 kiwi boni

53 minutes ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

wow ! a few highs and lows Paul !!

personally. if that generator isnt cutting the mustard, biff it! go grap a early commodor internally regulating alternator and delete the voltage regulator, its a major up grade !!! i am pretty sure they are delco reme brand on the vc-vk which is what you would find on a chev in the mid 80's

when it comes to scammers, you tell everyone you can, that way the f--ker will get caught out

its a sad world we live in now paul, scammers are the bottom feeders and they will always be there.

There is certainly something special about a four door pillarless... justA clean lines and that open feeling 

i used to have a 61 impala four door pillarless, back when i was a teenager,,, love that 327 and glide, orange paint, and the lass i was with at the time love cruising topless in it !!!  

Thanks for the alternator recommendation, although I've spent quite a bit on the new generator ($290) & regulator ($180), so I'll persist atm. In case though, is there anything else that I'd need to do if I change to an alternator?

Topless? I thought you said it was pillarless 🤔😂

Oh I forgot - finally ordered seatbelts for it, too.

Have tossed around ideas for months, but at the end of the day even if I buy Australian Compliance belts 2 point belts (I can get these), Queensland Laws require all outboard belts to be 3 point. Ergo, I'll have Australian Complied belts that can't be complied once fitted 🙄

So I've gone with belts that have USA Federal Compliance (safely and successfully fitted to thousands of vehicles over there), with bright chrome lift latch buckles. I'll fit 2 point all around (6x belts), with the belts in Red Wine so colour coded to the car.

Sweet - 

1. Wife happy

2. Safer than none

3. Still look period correct

Sweet ride…just to reach out…I am restoring my 65 Parisienne, not having any good luck tracking down a good site for replacement interior items.  Any thoughts?

https://www.classicindustries.com/shop/1965/pontiac/parisienne/parts/

https://www.goodmarkindustries.com/pontiac-parisienne-1965-parts.aspx

https://www.thewrenchmonkey.ca/auto-parts/pontiac/parisienne/1965/

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/pontiac,1965

Ebay

What do you need?

Edited September 25, 20232 yr by JUSTA6

The Voltage Regulator is  Adjustable....(designed that way)

Does your car have the standard voltage regulator or the transistor type regulator...Could be either one...Both types can be adjusted...

Photo of regulator...???

17 hours ago, Bonne61 said:

Hey there,

I've been off-line for a bit.

Been having charging issues with mine - only discovered after stopping to fuel up after a 3 hour drive & the car wouldn't start! Got battery checked & charged, but after checking incoming voltage was low. Back & forth to the auto elect it seems then new generator is fine. I replaced this when the motor was rebuilt, just because that way I know I've got a good working spare (the old one was working fine when it came off) & a brand new one on board.

Bad news - apparently the regulator was stuffed. Replaced this, but is still seems to be having issues (charging voltage as low as 11.6v at idle or above (but not constant?) So, It'll be going back I guess...🙄

Good news -  I got excited & advanced the timing a couple of degrees-wow, what a difference! It was fine before, but I just felt it was a little doughy. Not anymore 😈

When it was rebuilt the mechanic set it up at 6º btdc initially. Said it went like crazy, but the poor old original Hydramatic probably wouldn't survive the run-in period 😂 So it came back to me at 10º btdc. Anyway it can be a bit of a struggle on hot start (perfect cold), & didn't really jump off the line if it was a rolling start & not kicked down all the way. Not now, so pretty happy with that. Would like to try a little more, but don't have the funds for a tranny rebuild atm so best not I suppose 😬

Oh, I've been scammed recently too🤬 Cost me some cash, & probably more disappointing is the parts I thought I'd secured aren't on their way, fcuk it! So look out for Jody McCullough, he's a scammer (& a prick!), & DO NOT for any reason use a company called Fast Delivery Agency (in the US). And yes, they have their own website...

Have included a couple of recent photos & a video of the car, just because you guys like them 😉

 

 

IMG_8216.mov

 

7 hours ago, Mr Ed said:

Sweet ride…just to reach out…I am restoring my 65 Parisienne, not having any good luck tracking down a good site for replacement interior items.  Any thoughts?

Thanks for the compliment😃

I haven't needed to get many trim items but I know Frank's Pontiac Parts in Cali have quite a lot on their site, and are great to deal with.

49 minutes ago, TWO LANE BLACK TOP said:

The Voltage Regulator is  Adjustable....(designed that way)

Does your car have the standard voltage regulator or the transistor type regulator...Could be either one...Both types can be adjusted...

Photo of regulator...???

 

Hi there,

Yes it is a standard style regulator - part number D618.

Photo attached.

Yes your voltage regulator is definitely adjustable...Kind of pressed for time at the moment...(have a dinner date with a real girl).. Will post up the adjustment Parameters/ Procedure within the next 24 hrs.... If you're interested...

TLBT....

 

Edited September 25, 20232 yr by TWO LANE BLACK TOP

Sorry...one more.  Check for what a 65 Gran Prix or Catalina has that might match for your needs.  Many parts can swap out. You can also get the FREE catalog

2 hours ago, TWO LANE BLACK TOP said:

Yes your voltage regulator is definitely adjustable...Kind of pressed for time at the moment...(have a dinner date with a real girl).. Will post up the adjustment Parameters/ Procedure within the next 24 hrs.... If you're interested...

TLBT....

 

Thanks for that - that would be great. Even better if I can do I t myself, as I'm a little sick of the to & fro from the Aut-elecs atm!

Enjoy your "real girl" date 😍

5 hours ago, TWO LANE BLACK TOP said:

.(have a dinner date with a real girl)..

yeah, whats with the little bait you dangled two lane ??? sounds like you are on a date ? .

Now you know we love pictures around here !

3 hours ago, Bonne61 said:

Thanks for that - that would be great. Even better if I can do I t myself, as I'm a little sick of the to & fro from the Aut-elecs atm!

Enjoy your "real girl" date 😍

must be a hot date Paul... two lane is awol for the next 24 hours !

26 minutes ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

must be a hot date Paul... two lane is awol for the next 24 hours !

Either that or he has aspirations well beyond his capabilities😉

14 hours ago, JUSTA6 said:

Sorry...one more.  Check for what a 65 Gran Prix or Catalina has that might match for your needs.  Many parts can swap out. You can also get the FREE catalog

👍

13 hours ago, Bonne61 said:

Either that or he has aspirations well beyond his capabilities😉

NAW..he knows how to turn a wench. 

Finished the ignition harness a week an a half ago! Talk about ridicules! Needed to order a new Odyssey battery. Mine’s 8 years old, so might as well bite the bullet & start fresh. Lots of cleanup from the coolant flushing, some aluminum needed re-polished, so needed to pull most of it out make it all shiny again. Hopefully I get the battery this week so I can get a little drive time in before the Indian goes up for winter. Did I say WINTER😳!? Oh crap! That means all the indoor projects start! 

On 9/26/2023 at 9:27 AM, TWO LANE BLACK TOP said:

Yes your voltage regulator is definitely adjustable...Kind of pressed for time at the moment...(have a dinner date with a real girl).. Will post up the adjustment Parameters/ Procedure within the next 24 hrs.... If you're interested...

TLBT....

 

Hey @TWO LANE BLACK TOP,

Have you had a chance to check out that regulator info yet, or are you still on that date🤔

Am smiling !!!!!. We may never see two lane again !!!!

he might be of on a boat to some warm tropical island … happy as !!! 

5 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

Am smiling !!!!!. We may never see two lane again !!!!

he might be of on a boat to some warm tropical island … happy as !!! 

Naw - he lives in North Carolacki....it's already tropically warm there most months of the year.

So here’s the switch setup. I stand corrected there are six hot wires one in, 5 out. Those distributed out from the switch to various components. The real dumb part of the switch that I didn’t take a picture of is the inside rotating cam that depresses the springs you see in the one picture. Which moves a finger tab to make contact with another fixed opposing tab! What happened to just supplying 12 volts to a fuse box? So when you turn on that component there’s power at the source you turned on?! 

 

All purty again! 

below the double wire loom on the far side of the motor was original one single bundle. Which was to bulky to run between the valve cover & the redesigned engine mount. So I tandemed the single bundle into two, but specific wires had to be placed in the proper bundles since some would go in one direction & others in another direction. Likewise all the wire looms that run parallel to the core support needed divided & redirected downward as some looped up in the air, as is obvious in the last picture. This all took a lot of work because most of these wire runs are actually formed with a particular curve. Which in most cases means not all wire lengths were equal. 

JustA side note. What most folks don’t realize, unless you own one & look close, is all the work involved in the rewiring that had to be done to change over to my redesigned engine mounts & valve covers. 

Edited September 30, 20232 yr by Last Indian

Was looking at the test/ adjustment procedure for the voltage regulator and requires a specialty combination volt meter/ ampere tester ...That would have been common in most shops 60 years ago...But today not so much...My dad had one...But I haven't personally seen it in at least 30 years...and was probably liquidated during the estate sale 20 years ago...That being said...If you happen know an old school mechanic who may still have one then you may be in luck...Anyway here is the procedure for testing/adjusting the generator/voltage regulator...Hope this is legible enough to read...As I have no other way than the camera on my phone...

This particular manual is for a Buick...

None of my Pontiac shop manuals go back far enough to cover cars with a generator and the voltage regulator adjustment procedure...

For GM cars with an alternator (1963 forward) the external Voltage Regulator adjustment procedure is different and way less complicated...

I'm 99% sure that the same Generator/Regulator adjustment Procedure...is universal across all the GM brands...

Yes I managed to survive (just barely) My dinner date ...With a real girl ( even though she is partial MOPARs🤔) and will do it again within the next few days...

 

Edited October 1, 20232 yr by TWO LANE BLACK TOP

On 10/2/2023 at 1:58 AM, TWO LANE BLACK TOP said:

Was looking at the test/ adjustment procedure for the voltage regulator and requires a specialty combination volt meter/ ampere tester ...That would have been common in most shops 60 years ago...But today not so much...My dad had one...But I haven't personally seen it in at least 30 years...and was probably liquidated during the estate sale 20 years ago...That being said...If you happen know an old school mechanic who may still have one then you may be in luck...Anyway here is the procedure for testing/adjusting the generator/voltage regulator...Hope this is legible enough to read...As I have no other way than the camera on my phone...

This particular manual is for a Buick...

None of my Pontiac shop manuals go back far enough to cover cars with a generator and the voltage regulator adjustment procedure...

For GM cars with an alternator (1963 forward) the external Voltage Regulator adjustment procedure is different and way less complicated...

I'm 99% sure that the same Generator/Regulator adjustment Procedure...is universal across all the GM brands...

Yes I managed to survive (just barely) My dinner date ...With a real girl ( even though she is partial MOPARs🤔) and will do it again within the next few days...

 

Hey @TWO LANE BLACK TOP

Thanks for the info!

While you were on your extended dinner date, I did some more research of my own - I actually possess a Workshop Manual for the '61, which describes (at length) much the same process as what you have sent through.

Looking at it, I made the decision that I had neither the equipment or expertise to do the job, as I didn't want to kill my brand new generator, battery or regulator.

But digging that little bit further I discovered that my regulator (whilst being listed by numerous sources as the correct replacement part for the car - AC Delco D618, 55-63)), is not adjustable (see attached photos)!

So, off to the auto electricians AGAIN tomorrow, hopefully this time for an actual resolution. I'm a little over being told to replace parts that in the end are not changing the fact that the charging system is simply NOT charging sufficiently to maintain a healthy battery charge level.

And when you put it like that, you would think an auto electrician should really be able to sort that, IMO?

Thanks again, I'll keep you updated with my progress...