A lot of guys are replacing their generator with an alternator, this is OK if you have a '56 or later but for those of us who have the original 6 volt system in the older cars and want to stay that way, either for staying 'original' or for wanting the radio and other things like gauges and heater motors to work, there's no reason not to have a good working and reliable generator & regulator setup.
Generators are actually simple, take it apart, clean everything with ether, it's fast but do NOT SMOKE while doing it.  Next is to check the armature, it has to be done on a 'growler', take it to a shop that has one, only takes a couple of minutes to test.  If good you're 90% in the clear.  Next is to check for continuity of the field coils, also test for shorts, you must disconnect the grounded field wire to do that.  Put in new brushes, make sure the brush springs are OK.  Have a new rear bushing put in, also a new ball front bearing.
If the commutator on the armature is smooth and not burned, smooth and clean with fine sandpaper, NOT the black paper used in body work, use fine flint sandpaper.  If it's not true or rough, get it turned, the mica undercut also.  Put it together and you're in business.
As to regulators, there are books that show how to fine tune them, I've found that a decent old one is better than you can buy new, most are not made in the USA anymore, maybe none.   I search junkyards for old originals, then try to tune and fix them.  All Ford 6 volt generators and regulators are 30 amp, more than enough for any car or truck, you do not need excessive amperage.  Don't try to use a GM Delco regulator with a Ford generator ... bad idea.  Plymouth or Dodge regulators will work with Ford but ....
Warren

All good advise on generators there. Years ago as a young guy starting out in an auto electric shop the "old man" that owned the place would always take the time to show everyone that worked there how to set up regulators. Sometimes he would seem obsessed about setting them up. This being the time (67-68) that alternators were the norm it seemed a bit outdated to take it too seriously. Kinda like learning how to shoe a horse. Good to know but when is one gonna show up in the shop. All these years later if I run into anyone that worked there nobody remembers how to do it. Only bits and pieces of it. But it is always good to have a few laughs concerning the old man. He was a good guy.

Dan      Kingman Az.      86409

There is a fellow here in New Hampshire, I wouldn't call him old as he's about my age, that still does 6 and 12 volt generators and regulators. I met him in the 60's and he was already the "go to" guy for the old stuff. He has as many old carb kits on his shelves as many parts stores. Last one I saw him working on was a 6 volt out of a 40's Lincoln sedan. It was working but not keeping the battery charged. He boosted output to 8 volts. Said the 6 volts would only maintain the battery but not put a charge in it. First I heard of this, may be common knowledge but still a first for me. Long winded way of saying if you have any units that need gone through or rebuilt he is the guy. You could ship them to me and I'll take them to him. He's fair priced for the work he does too. Just let me know. 

Y's guys rule!
Looking for McCullouch VS57 brackets and parts. Also looking for 28 Chrysler series 72 parts. And early Hemi parts.

MoonShadow, 292 w/McCulloch, 28 Chrysler Roadster, 354 Hemi)
Manchester, New Hampshire

Chuck, there's a place in our area that has a lot of young guys working. I guess there's 6 volt tractors that need work. It's a Mennonite outfit, I take my stuff there.

  Dennis in Lititz PA

I had a friend who also had a 55Tbird and he kept his 6volt but changed out the generator for a 6 volt alternator. Why not look into something along those lines.
My radio and heater still work because I have a resistor that steps the voltage down from the 12volt gen. Pete

Powermaster make a 6v alternator that looks like a generator.  Not cheap, though.


Lawrenceville, GA

They do have 6 volt positive ground alternators.  I have seen lists for them.  The Model A guys use them as well as others.


54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ

This may be a novice question but what's the advantage of switching over to an allternator? My car is basically stock with an MSD dizzy. I don't have air a radio or anything else that would rob power. How would a alternator benifit my car?

Durham Missouri

An alternator will charge at idle while a generator will not. Also you can run an engine without a battery hooked up if you have a failure. You cannot do that with a generator. Other than higher amperage outputs I think that's about it. 

Y's guys rule!
Looking for McCullouch VS57 brackets and parts. Also looking for 28 Chrysler series 72 parts. And early Hemi parts.

MoonShadow, 292 w/McCulloch, 28 Chrysler Roadster, 354 Hemi)
Manchester, New Hampshire

Alternators are lighter, and more compact. Unless you car is idling for an extremely long time the low output should not be a problem. You can change the pulley size to charge at idle but only if your engine does not see the higher RPM's otherwise the centrifugal forces could cause the armature windings to throw out. If you don't have lots of power consuming accessories and are not having problems then I would see no reason to go to the trouble to change the generator out.