Thanks, yes I understand electricity. I was an aircraft mech for 19 years, and have completely rewired a couple of old chevy trucks. Just trying to figure out the 24/12 V thing and the reason for all these damn relays and circuit boards.
There is nothing complicated or at all unusual about the "relays and circuit boards" on these vehicles. The starter circuit has a relay under the dash which drives the relay (solenoid) on the starter. That's a box stock setup for a ton of vehicles. There is nothing unusual or complicated about it. One side is 24v, one side is 12v, and that's it.
The GPs have a relay controlled by an intelligent circuit board. Again, that's a box stock setup for a ton of vehicles. There is nothing unusual or complicated about it.
Half temped to cut all that crap out and drop in a crate engine
You would still need exactly the same circuit boards and relays as you have now. But you'd probably have butchered the wiring in the process and be in the middle of a nightmare.
The ONLY thing different about this beast is the 24/12v system, and that doesn't involve any relays or circuit boards. There are only TWO components that are different from stock:
- The GP resistor bank on the firewall. No relays, no circuit board, no moving parts, almost foolproof. (And easily removed, if you don't like it.)
- The isolated ground alternator on the driver's side. Except for a few extra insulators, it's a box stock Delco 27SI. Nothing complicated.
Now, there
are a few minor military doo-dads that might bug you. There are some diodes scattered around that are there for radio noise suppression. They sometimes cause problems, and the easiest solution is to just cut them out and throw them away. Done.
The blackout light switches can be annoying. You brush the switch wrong and suddenly you lose all your lights. Then you go crazy trying to figure out why because you forgot to check the switch first. Doesn't seem to bother most people, but if it does, you can always bypass the switch. I have a thread on how to do that. Just a few simple jumpers and it's 100% easily reversed.
If you really,
really can't work with the 24/12 system, there is a simple, standardized conversion to pure 12v called the Roscommon method, and it's documented here on the site.
No crate engine required.
