What is this circuit board near the battery on my '74 Maverick? Stumbled across it the other day while replacing the engine mounts and accidentally knocking off the cover.
Voltage regulator. The older alternators had the voltage regulator out side of the unit. Newer cars they are all in one. For Ford that started with the G2 alternator. For example if you upgraded to a G2 or G3 alternator you could do away with that and have a higher output alternator. As those are internally regulated.
No rush to do it, just letting you know it can be done. It use to be a lot cheaper to get those alternators rebuilt vs the newer ones but I haven’t had to replace one lately. Last project I started with a 89 5.0 in a 52 Ford pickup so I kept that with the engine and re-wired for it. The G2 alternator can have issues so it’s best to find a G3. Get the alternator and harness stub. A alternator off of a 3.8 v6 mustang should physically bolt in as the case is about the same and bolt in your current brackets. You will have to swap the pulley on it though. S belt vs V belt. Only real reason to upgrade is yours went out OR you need more voltage to run big amps or another electrical load.
I replaced the engine mounts for my 250 so I can keep driving it while I work on everything the interior needs, but after that I will be doing a 302 swap. I'll be putting a decent amount of money into that engine build, so going with a newer generation alternator at that time won't be a big deal.
That's a aftermarket voltage regulator from probably the 1990s. Original were electro-mechanical with screws that retained cover.
Wait a minute. The best thing about a Maverick is that stock Mavericks do not have circuit boards and therefor when the Electromagnetic Pulse happens you can still drive it whereas all modern cars will fail. You might want to go back to a stock unit.
Unless you order a rebuilt, find a NOS etc, AFAIK there are no mechanical units. Motorcraft switched in approx 1978. I don't remember having a electronic fail, can't say same for mechanical units. Common for no charge or overcharge.
