Voltage Regulators

I 2nd you need to pop it open to find what part failed. If the contacts burned or fused, it could be "alternator field draws too much" (post 5). If the coil failed, it sounds like a design issue since the coil should never see >13 V (its setting), even if the rest of the car has too high a voltage (due to voltage drops). The mechanical system was never very robust and needed constant tweaks. I wouldn't rely on one today (or even in 1972), though it is good to keep for cars that are a museum piece.