Alternator or something else? Popping noise!

[65Valiant310]

I was driving my 65 around today and noticed some popping/crackling noise coming from the engine compartment...the radio studdered/lights flickered when it happened the first time....
Pulled into my driveway to check everything and it went away... drove it around again and it popped once in a blue moon from the engine bay...sounded like something electrical popping...
Car runs fine, even at WOT, yet every 5-10 mins of driving i hear 2-3 pops

any ideas?
Is my alternator on its way out?
I checked all connections visually, yet I guess i need to get out the voltmeter

 

[RonnyB]

Since it quit popping when you stopped driving, you may have a loose connection somewhere.

Since your Valiant is 45 years old, one of the best things you can do for the electrical system is to go through all those connections again and make sure they are both clean and tight. A light scrubbing with a steel wire brush can eliminate or prevent dozens of little problems, some that you might not even notice.
There is also dielectric grease/compound that you can put on the cleaned connections. That will protect the connections from moisture and corrosion, making all the time and effort you spent last longer.

Even if your problem turns out to be a bad alternator or something else, you can be confident about the integrity of your connections.

It's also a good opportunity to check the condition of the wiring and take care of any worn insulation or loose splices by previous owners. My 64 Dart was bought off eBay and the wiring was awful. There was even smoke coming from behind the dashboard. I had to spend several days working on it just to get it to pass the state inspection. It was worth it, because now I can drive it anywhere without worrying about it burning up on the side of the road!