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Regulator reconditioners

Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 1:33 pm
by Andrew1967
Anyone know who can recondition an original RB106/2 regulator ?

I've several here that don't work (despite me cleaning points etc) and proved its the regulator not the dynamo on HOY by fitting the one off my other S that I know works !

Don't really want to go along with a new repro one.

Or has anyone got a 1 to 3/65 regulator that they can guarantee works :? :lol:

Re: Regulator reconditioners

Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 6:49 pm
by kit of bits
Speak to classic and vintage
D

Re: Regulator reconditioners

Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 6:54 pm
by goff
Andrew there is a company up in Lincoln " Classic dynamo and regulator conversions " that fits electronic parts inside your own regulator box , looks just the same on the outside but modern on the inside , around £140 , not cheap but DON'T buy the chinese shite in the lucas box :o , proper junk.

Also Kit of bits just posted about the one in Shirebrook.

Re: Regulator reconditioners

Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 7:04 pm
by Andrew1967
Thanks for the leads Dave and Goff. :)

Be rest assured Goff, there isn't and won't be any Chinese shite on HOY ;) :lol:

Re: Regulator reconditioners

Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 7:08 pm
by gogsymac
goff wrote: Mon May 03, 2021 6:54 pm Andrew there is a company up in Lincoln " Classic dynamo and regulator conversions " that fits electronic parts inside your own regulator box , looks just the same on the outside but modern on the inside , around £140 , not cheap but DON'T buy the chinese shite in the lucas box :o , proper junk.

Also Kit of bits just posted about the one in Shirebrook.
Andrew - I have used this company. I got my regulator on my Mk2 S reconditioned by them. It has the electronics inside but from the outside it looks just like a normal one. Works a treat so unless you want to be totally original then I would recommend that approach.

Re: Regulator reconditioners

Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 7:14 pm
by Andrew1967
Thanks for the recommendation Gordon, could well be the way forward. :)

Re: Regulator reconditioners

Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 7:29 pm
by iain1967s
Another vote for the company in Lincoln.

I had problems with the mechanical regulator on a long drive. Tried several times to adjust it, but just couldn’t get it working correctly, the battery would go flat after about an hour of driving, even though the ‘not charging’ light on the dash never lit up.

I suspected modern thin plate car batteries don’t appreciate the way that the 60s regulator swings wildly between zero and full voltage, cutting in and out rapidly. That, and maybe the regulator malfunctioning when the engine bay gets warm.

Anyway I switched to a [positive earth] modern solid state regulator from http://www.classicregulator.com - same internals as used by the company in Lincoln - and no problems since - battery stays charged no problem. Looks identical to the original too.

Re: Regulator reconditioners

Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 7:32 pm
by floormanager
I did my own buying a unit from here.
https://www.dynamoregulators.com/dvr3.php

The owner Used to sell them to http://www.dynamoregulatorconversions.com/

I see now you need to buy them from here now
http://edsltd.ddns.net/products.html

Unit has worked perfectly since fitting, nice 14V on my Smiths gauge. In a Lucas box, no cheapo modern unit which don't work for long. Fitted a fuse too, for additional protection.
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Re: Regulator reconditioners

Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 7:37 pm
by Peter Laidler
As much as I hate to say it, that stated by Floor manager seems the way to go. While the voltage led mechanical boxes all look very simple to adjust etc in the workshop manual and Lucas booklets, in practice, they don't tell the whole story.

Re: Regulator reconditioners

Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 7:44 pm
by floormanager
Peter Laidler wrote: Mon May 03, 2021 7:37 pm As much as I hate to say it, that stated by Floor manager seems the way to go. While the voltage led mechanical boxes all look very simple to adjust etc in the workshop manual and Lucas booklets, in practice, they don't tell the whole story.
I tried several times to get one working. I read everything I could, the lucas manual, I set up everything as best as I could but could not get one to work, I had headlights pulsing. I tried a modern one (that did not work at all). Although I will not fit any electronics to the car (instead of points) I gave up and built one of these. 6 years later, and it's run faultlessly.

Re: Regulator reconditioners

Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 8:34 pm
by Andrew1967
Well, I have found one that does work ... well, the light goes out . Need to test for voltage etc.

BUT, the previous posts are getting me thinking that maybe modern electronics in the old casing is the way forward ..

Thanks for the posts so far :D

Re: Regulator reconditioners

Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 11:04 pm
by iain1967s
In case you don’t have it already: Lucas_Generator_and_Control_Box_Tests.pdf
64EDCBA1-26E2-4F70-AEFE-822492012A43.jpeg

Re: Regulator reconditioners

Posted: Tue May 04, 2021 11:34 am
by Peter Laidler
Your booklet really says it all Iain - and thanks for sharing it. In the days of real apprenticeships the VM's would spend 9 months of their 5 (or from the mid 60's down to 3) year apprenticeship studying the electrical systems. Ours were then known as VM(E) for electricians. Every small garage had an electricians bay where they were set-up to rebuild the Lucas, CAV and ACDelco stuff. We could all(?) do it now by following the booklets but we don't have the calibrated test kit or slave bench motors to run-up and test the kit being rebuilt. The last people I know sort of locally who had these facilities were Borehams, the auto electrical dealers in West Mills, Newbury.

Like my cop car knackered AC-11 alternator. Had to machine it internally to take 18-ACR guts with the now redundant AC regulator sat there doing bugger all. Borehams would have had it rebuilt, run-up and tested within an hour!

Sorry to rant on