Amp gauge shunt

Mike69cuda said
Mattax, I have really learned a lot from your posts. I have been a career electrical guy, but not in the automotive business. There is a lot of subtlety to the old Mopar electrical systems that would probably take me more years than I have left to figure out on my own. I did a lot of this back in the day when I had these cars in my youth. Was pretty much out of it till 4-5 years ago when gearhead son got to driving age. This forum has been a great help to me since I bought my cuda. I have particularly enjoyed your work. I hope I can contribute as well as time goes along.

Thanks Mike. I've learned a lot from others here and at Moparts. Nacho in particular got me headed on the right path, although his English can be challenging. LOL. When he opened up and repaired a couple failed ECUs - that was a clue he had a decent understanding and curiosity of how electric and electronics work.

bbab3 said
electrical system changes resulting in the alternator upgrade.

Its really more about the loads. If the lights draw 10 amps, then it doesn't matter if the alternator is capable of putting out 15 amps or 150 amps, only 10 amps will flow through the wires. You're adding extra electrical loads over the factory options; so that's why the wires and connectors will carry more current, for longer times, than in the original design.

The challenge is finding an alternator and pulley combo to produce enough power at idle speed that the battery doesn't have to lend a hand. Because if the battery has to help, then it will also need to be recharged. The more this happens, the more the charge circuit has to carry current. Going with a Denso or something like that is definately a better starting point than an early Chrysler design for what you are planning. Just make sure any 'high output' claims weren't made at the expense of performance at low rpm.