[Black67]

So apparently I hooked something up wrong. I have a 351c with a msd 6al, mallory unilite distributor, painless wiring kit and a unknown alternator. The po had everything wired and working. I have had the car for 2 years with no issues. I pulled the motor and went to start the car today and ended up with a melted mess of wires at the coil.
My alternator is puzzling me. It has two red wires coming out the back that I think went to the positive post along with the power wire from the solenoid. I had another wire attatched that ran up towards the coil but since everything burned i cant trace it now. I have looked at msds wiring for my distributor and will have to order a new ignition module but i need to correct the wiring mistake. Anybody have a similar setup that can help?

 

[cardoctor]

I'm not sure about the msd, that should just be tapping ignition voltage. The alternator should have 3 wires, the largest or output should go to the battery side of the solenoid, the other two go to the regulator, one terminal on the back of the alternator it should have cast markings next to the terminal, STA is stator, that should go to the regulator on the S terminal, the other wire should have a cast FLD which is field that should go to the F terminal on the regulator, there could be one more wire on the output terminal the one that goes to the starter solenoid, that goes to the A terminal on regulator, (this wire might not go to alternator it might run right from battery side of solenoid to the A terminal on regulator. The I terminal on regulator should go to ignition switch and only be hot with key on, maybe that's the wire they tapped for msd. The terminal markings for the regulator are molded into the plastic where the plug goes in. The B terminal on regulator is for battery, this should be hot all the time. Hope this helps.

 

[Black67]

You can see the black coming off one of the terminals. It may or may not have been on that terminal but its two wires going to a ring connector that was to the bat post on the alternator. I think this is an external regulated alt but i dont have a voltage regulator that I can find. I believe my fire was from my mallory dist ground being hooked up to the alt battery post. Its the only thing I cant trace. So what do I have and how should it be. The alternator is a Wilson and I cant get a part number because the sticker is partially missing.

 

[Bad69cat]

So is that a GM style internally regualted alt? I don't see a Stator terminal? I assume R is regulated (diode side) and F is field winding side. Typically there would be markings like cardoc says and a regulator mounted on the fenderwell near the starter relay.

 

[Black67]

From what I read after my last post it seems to be a internally regulated alternator that when you run a jumper wire from f terminal to bat terminal on the alternator turns the internal regulator on. I just don't like that at idle it never charged. I wonder if I could wire it differently to fix that issue