One of the big downsides of a magneto engine is the dynamo and their lack of availability. When they do come on the market they are horribly expensive. I’ve got an incomplete and knackered one so have run my blown car without a dynamo. This hasn’t really affected the use too much since I haven’t driven long distances at night but it’s not very satisfactory.

The major problem is that there aren’t known alternatives to the original item (no VW innards for example). However the Lucas E3 as used by loads of motorbikes looks interesting and I was wondering if it was possible to adapt it for an A7 (machining isn't a problem). Has anyone tried? For starters does anyone know the diameter of a Lucas E3 dynamo?

Thanks

Charles

Charles,

I may be wrong, but I was under the impression that numbers stated on most if not all Lucas Dynamos were their diameter in inches. i.e C45's are 4·5" dia.
So the E3 should be 3", be interesting to see if I'm correct.

Jeff.

I am in the same situation as yourself Charles, it does mean that if you want to drive in the dark you need a good combination of batteries, chargers and pit stops!

I have the bits, (from ebay) but not got round to trying anything yet, (well that and a lack of time, cold nights and photos to keep on finding...)

I have been amazed by the price tags on these, excuse my ignorance but what is it on these dynamos that breaks??

Regards

Rob

Answering my own question it's about 2.5" diameter with an off centre drive. Therefore the possibilty exists to make an ecentric bush to hold it in the standard mounting along with a shaft extension to hold the drive gear.
The real bonus is if this works well is that for those night owls that want bright lights an alternator version exists in the same casing. Pricey at £300 but it's a useful option (don't tell the VSCC though!)

http://www.btinternet.com/~hawkshaw.motorcycles/alternatorpics.html

All I need now is to buy one (cheap old dynamo, not expensive new alternator) to play with.



Charles

Mainly it’s the windings that burn out due to age and overcharging. The other thing often missed when buying a restorable item, is the fact that the end gear has not been tightened sufficiently and the gear dances about destroying both the gear bore and the end of the shaft. (Have a look at the tool I designed to hold the gear when tightening in the Grey Mag last year) Another problem area is the alloy brush carrier that very often cracks. So the moral here is to have a ‘very’ careful look before parting with the 150 or so pounds you will have to pay for one to restore. Not a good item to buy unseen from Ebay I would say!

Ian

I think that you've identified all the faults that I can see in my own pile of bits.

Charles