I thought something was a bit odd, when I was looking around the engine
ont he Monarch. Somebody ahd swapped out the alternator with an earlier
non-integeral regulated Prestolite!

GAG! I hate those things! The origional Motorola probably went south,
and so someone took this off an older boat that was equipped with OMC.
OMC used a bunch of goofy engine combinations and for some unknown
reason, chose Prestolite to be their electrical supplier. Not really
hard to work on, but parts are becoming scarce and expensive.

Whoever wired this thing in, I commend them on their genius of
"rigging". I will say they did a neat job, And they also did something
I'[ve done before like in the "old days" of converting old 6 volt
generator'd tractors over to an 12v alternator system. is the Pos. wire
attached to the back of the alt. to the output stud as usual. but
instead of using the stock volt regulator. somebody used a Volt. reg
for a '66 Dodge. Yep! "LeDodge!"

They're cool. the little matchbox VR is so simple, one wire from the VR
goes to the alternator "Field terminal" and the other side of the VR
goes to the key switch.

About as simple as you can get, and cheap "riggings" too! But thats
OK. With a tear of grattitude, in the barrel it went and got replaced
with a homebuilt 90A 12SI Delco! Oh yes, I DO install the spark
arresting screens.

I thought, well, while I'm here, I thought to myself. Eh, Pull the
starter. So, down I go with wrench's and rachet in hand and pulled the
heavy beast off. "That's what I thought... Low-torque POS!!! "

So, to the shelf I go and get a new permanent magnet (PMGR) 260
Delcostarter which weight about a thrid as the origional, and has over
50% more cranking speed and torque. Grab retro-bolt kit housing gasket
(to compensate and fill in for the smaller nose in the larger flywheel
bellhousing opening), and installed the new starter with ease. A whole
lot easier than taking the other one off.

The old Starter was "OK, but needed some lube , brush's and bushings.
and the brush springs were about rotted off, but not a big deal, but I
hitt the key on the new one, and it cranked so much better! I knew it
would crank better than the old one's wildest dreams. I love it!

Hmm time to investigate the other battery. I found out why there wasn't
an auxillary battery in the other battery box. Why no Aux. battery?
Because the battery isolator was bad....figures!
I never liked them either, I always thought it was an odd way of doing
things. So... the isolator becomes surgically extracted. And I make my
own. I lilke mine better.

"Run" battery pos. terminal Cabled to starter Solonoid. neg. terminal
to engine block., 10 guage wire from Starter solonoid battery terminal
to Alternator output stud. (Typical, and simple),
Next. Auxillary Battery pos. running through a Motorola isolation diode
plate , with 3 press fit diodes with 50a.ea. rating, (pulled off a
junker John Deere combine alternator) bridged in between "Run" battery
pos(via. 10 ga., and "aux" battery pos. ."Aux" battery neg. to engine
block(via 10ga).

Really simple. Only drawback is there is a slight voltage drop on the
aux. battery charging due to natural inefficiencies in the diodes. So
instead of the 14.-14.2 v that the "Run is getting" the "aux" will
suffer at 13.5-13.8 v. boohoo.
plenty to keep lights, radio, kids DVD, etc working for hrs. and no
drain on the "run" bat. And if the "aux" is drained it should re-
charge with no problems. So, until the Pertoronix electronic ignition
kit comes in, I gurss I'll get back to working on the cuddy interior.
man, I like doing stuff like this!