<VV> high output alternators

[NicolCS at aol.com]

<snip> Just wonder if there are any fan belt issues with use of a 55 or 63 
amp 
alternator. The load is going to be considerably more and there must be a 
reason a/c Corvairs only got 47A alternators when most other GM cars of the 
period with A/C got 55s (and the Delco application guide shows only 37A for 
67-69, did they drop the 47 in later years?) Padgett <unsnip>

I was curious about that myself so I connected my carbon-pile load tester to 
my '66, which has a 55amp 10 SI.  I adjusted the used Clarks belt to the usual 
"just able to rotate the fan" tension and running the engine at 3000 rpm, all 
I could get out of the alternator was 35 amps.  I set the belt tighter (well 
into "flip" territory) and got slightly more than the full rated output (AFIR 
it was about 58-60 amps).  As I suspected, the mere 90 degree belt wrap and 
the required low belt tension precludes any benefit from the larger output 
alternators.  Slippage would be even worse at lower rpm.   I'm going to try this 
again someday with a brand-new belt to see if the results change.
Craig N.