I got in a used 80A alternator to replace/upgrade my alternator on an 86 560sl (nothing wrong with it, but I wanted to replace the regulator anyway, and polish the housing). As you probably know, the newer alts have ring-type connectors as opposed to the plug-in older style, and I'm prepared to modify this. The alternator seems a little bigger but I think it will fit. To polish it, I disassembled it. This was a #$@#$, I needed an impact screwdriver to get the (irreplaceable) long screws out, as well as the shorter ones holding the front bearing. BTW, Harbor Freight has a fairly nice impact screwdriver (with some spare bits, yet) for $6.00.

Anyway, given that it is apart, I'm going to replace the well-worn regulator/brush assembly, 1500 grit the slip rings and other connections, and clean it up a bit internally. The bearings feel good and have a lot of grease, but given that it's 15+ years old, I really should flush and repack them. What kind of grease should I use for this, and how much?

Any opinions on brands of regulator?

Interesting that this is rated to put out 14.1 volts, not 13.8 - does this matter?

Has anyone done this - upgrading a 560sl?

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86 560SL
With homebrew first gear start!
85 380SL
Daily Driver Project

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