300sd with 140amp alternator

[enoch]

Hello all. i recently had problems with the very subpar charging system of my mercedes. 1979 300sd om617 engine. i have installed a fairly strong stereo and since the alt just couldnt keep up. so i did the notorious saab swap only a cpl months later to have the regulator go bad and the auto parts chain no longer carries the 15651 cross reference to al129x on hand anymore... rather irritated me. as im sure many other mercedes owners have wondered.. wouldnt it be nice to be able to just go around the corner when an alt goes bad and swp it in the parking lot... well i may have found a way.... i installed a 140amp alt from a 2000 chevy ( gasp i know... american part on mercedes ) tahoe limited. to do this i had to change that horrid alternator adjusting bracket... i used an adjusting rod tensioner aka heim joint . the chevy alt comes with a six ribbed pulley.. i simple swapped my factory pulley onto it using the chevy fan. also purchased the correct harness for this alt and some thicker wire so i wont have any bad surprises. and a packet of 3/8 washers to fill in space on bottom bolt. Three washers behind the alt and one in from and the belts all line up perfectly.. Now when it decides to fail out I can go to any mcparts store and swap it out.. No more 3-5 day wait without your car. And also not too expensive of a swap. For my alt and harness both with lifetime warranties it topped out to about $200. And if you get the 2 1/2 in adjustable tension rod you can use the factory spec belts. I hope this helps others any questions just ask I will do my best to answer.