So, the blog I did a couple days ago regarding brakes mentioned that brakes are usually a problem on old vehicles that will need serious attention. Another very normal problem is the charging system. This truck has a 12 volt generator and regulator. I think it came from the factory with a 6 volt system but somewhere along the way it was converted. At least it still has a generator. I don't like it when people put in one of them new-fangled alternators in old vehicles, but I digress.
With the charging system inoperative, my usual first step is to check if the regulator is working, so I pulled it off the truck and opened it up. After a few minutes of looking things over, I spotted what looked like a broken wire. It was quite difficult to see, but yes, there it was. A broken wire barely thicker than a human hair. Ok, so maybe it is several times thicker, but it's still whisper thin. The photo below is the repair I did to it. I soldered in a larger solid strand wire to splice between the end of the broken wire and its terminal. The two photos below show the white wire I added. If you look close at the blow-up photo and squint real good, you can kinda maybe see the thin wire soldered onto the end of the bigger wire.
Yes, most people would have just gone out and bought a new regulator, but where's the challenge in that? (sticker shock: I just looked online and the cheapest one on eBay is $135, NAPA is $190-$240)
