---DANMAS@aol.com wrote:
> So the rotary is out, but the Rover V8 would be OK? It's a British
powerplant.
> Or does it have to be a British 'design' as well? In that case, I
guess the
> Stag engine would be OK?
Cough! Cough! A stag engine? ;-)
Sorry, stag owners!
> In my articles on swapping the Lucas alternators, no mention is made
at all
> about reliability. I say the three problems with the original Lucas
units are
> low power, high cost, and unavailability on short notice. I agree,
there is no
> inherent problem with Lucas alternators. They are low powered, cost
a lot, and
> if you need one 'right now', you are out of luck. For about 1/4 the
price, I
> can have a GM unit with up to twice the power, and, if it ever
fails, I can,
> in most any city in the US, have the old one out and the new one
installed in
> about an hour.
Try running your Spitfire for a year, once a day, and on weekends,
with the lights on all the time. Every drive, day and night, for
safety reasons, like I did. It'll take a year, or so, on a good
battery, but it'll kill it. The Lucas alt. just doesn't make enough
power to fully recharge the battery, and over time it hurts.
You'll find out like I did. Lucky for me, I had my co-pilot (wife)
push me and it jumped right off in 2nd gear. Nothing like a little
adventure to spice up a moonlight drive, eh?
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