High Amp Alternator (CS144?) Upgrade for Buick 350?

Hi all, newer to posting here, though I've been browsing for a few years. Great forum! I have a 1969 Jeep Wagoneer project I'm working on which came from the factory with the optional Buick 350 V8 engine. I would like to upgrade to a modern high amp alternator, thinking of a 140 amp GM CS144 unless there is a better option I should look into. I'm just going to grab a reman unit from RockAuto or Napa as a super high performance aftermarket alt. is out of budget and 140 amps will be plenty to run electric cooling fans, a modern hvac unit and halfway decent stereo in the Jeep down the line.

Anyway, my question concerns mounting the big alternator on the Buick 350. My Wagoneer came with factory AC, which uses a giant compressor that shares the same giant steel bracket as the OE 35 amp (!!) Motorola alternator. Since the factory AC compressor is also going away I will be able to ditch the entire bracket as well. That's good, because not only is it heavy and ugly but it blocks access to working on the engine.

I see there's a non-AC alternator bracket for the 350 and other Buick V8's available from TA Performance and elsewhere. Will this bracket allow me to mount a CS144 alternator? I'm sure someone else has done this before but I couldn't find anything definitive online. I'm not opposed to modifying the bracket but would rather not have to modify the alternator, so that a roadside replacement would still be easy should it ever be needed.

The one thing I realize I may just have to figure out for myself is the belt spacing on my particular application, but I assume my engine just uses the same water pump pulley as a 350 in Buick car rather than something unique. In that case it really wouldn't matter what chassis the engine is in, my hope is that if someome has fit a CS144 to a 350 in a Skylark or whatever other Buick it would be the same process to put one in my Jeep...

And of course I'll be installing appropriately sized, i.e. much larger power cables as well as ground cables, probably 1 or 2 awg, as well as an appropriately sized fuse or circuit breaker. Thanks in advance for any help!

 

Welcome - My 1st vehicle was a '70 Wagoneer w/a Buick 350. Does yours by chance have buckets/console? My old one is the only one I've ever seen w/them. Kinda wish I'd kept it.

Post some pics!

Buick 350's were used until around 1980 & Buick v6's are very similar & used much later so if need be, the brackets off a later model car might work. I would think twice before ditching the A/C but I'm sure you've considered that.

 

The non air conditioning bracket will hold alternator. The fuseable links are not rated for 140 amps. This may cause problems if you are actually pulling that kind of amperage. I run an actual fuse inside of fuseable links. I would consider this if you run into a problem.

 

Thanks for the replies all. I did some deeper research on my own and it looks like the factory Buick non-a/c alternator brackets will likely work just fine for this swap. The CS144 alt has a 2" mounting foot, same as the SI series alt's that came on your typical mid 70's Buick car, so a CS144 will drop right in to the factory non-a/c lower mount. Although the CS144 has a larger case and larger bolt spread than a SI series or CS130 alternator, I think there will still be plenty of room for it to drop in place and I think the stock upper bracket should work to secure it as well. I bought the factory non-a/c alt brackets but still need to source an alternator, so I'll update this thread after I mock it up.

My intent is to bypass any OE fuseable links that may exist and use a high amperage, heavy duty replaceable fuse between the alt + terminal and battery +. I also plan to replace the main power feed wire going to the body harness junction block on the firewall and it seems like it'd be a good idea to protect that circuit with a fuse or circuit breaker as well.

Dano, sounds like your '70 had the bucket seats and console swapped in from a very rare '66-'69 Super Wagoneer model! I'm not aware of those options even being available on the regular, non "Super" Wagoneers. Mine just has a basic bench seat and no console. Unless yours also had full length aluminum and gold mesh side trim, a tilt steering column and console shift...? In which case you would have had a real Super model on your hands. The Internet says production on those ended in '69, but I've heard of things like new 1969 model cars that weren't sold until 1970 being registered as 1970 models, etc.

I'll try to post a pic and we'll see if it works... I've since removed the giant a/c compressor and bracket, as well as the heater box and mess of heater hoses so I can pull the exhaust manifold to replace the gasket (gotta do the driver's side too) . I won't be reinstalling the factory heater box any time soon. Anyone know of a nice clean looking way to loop the heater inlet & outlet on the water pump and intake manifold?

 

I may be off base here, but isnt the wire gauge determined by the load that wire is feeding?

 

I put in a 150A Powermaster 1 wife in my wagon. Went to a 12 si from a 10si fit great, works a little better than the stock 36A one she had in her.

Tim