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Classic/Antique Car Repair/1962 Pontiac Bonneville Alternator

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Expert: - 1/18/2012


Question
Engine
Engine  
Brad,
I am taking possession of a 1962 Pontiac Bonneville, it has been in the family since new. Owned by a great aunt and has not been driven since 1971.  It has been kept in a garage. It has 65,000 miles on it with original paint and interior, all in excellent condition.   I have no reason to believe that anyone but possibly the original dealer has even touched the car mechanically.  My question is that it has an alternator on it, is that correct?  I have searched for a reliable answer and can find very little information on those kinds of specifications.  The car is loaded, all options.
Thanks,
Richard

Answer
1963 was the first year that Pontiac used an alternator in general production. So this means that the 1962 Pontiac Bonneville had a generator on it when it left the factory.That said, I notice that the car is air conditioned. The alternator was something like the electronic ignition that came out a year or two later, some of the earlier cars had the up grade depending on the trim level. So, is the alternator a factory installed item? My guess is that it is a car built late in the production cycle and that the alternator was used on the A/C equipped cars. My reference material does not support this theory but I was working on these cars when they were new and this is what this 80 year old mind remembers.

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Brad Sears

Expertise

All automotive including antique and collectible. However if the car has been modified I can only answer in general terms and maybe get you pointed in the right direction.

Experience

Automotive tech instructor. Syndicated auto columnist 1970's though the early 1990's. Syndicated auto radio talk show, Ask Brad About cars, CBS Radio 70's through 90's TV Show "Last Chance Garage" 1980's PBS-TV syndicated. Auto instructor for the following companies: Fram Autolyte Holly Carter AMF Ford Motor University Of Conn Blue Hills Technical School Sugar River Technical Center Grew up in a family garage in Needham Mass and turned wrenches from the age of 14.

Publications
Manchester Union Leader, Nashua Telegraph, Motor Service Magazine, Yankee Magazine, Popular Mechanics (Saturday Mechanic early 80's), Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and lots more.

Education/Credentials
More than I care to remember. Basically Franklin Technical Institute in Boston, Northeastern University, Fitchburg State Teachers College, Tufts University, and a lot of factory schools along the way.

Awards and Honors
Moto Award winner. And much more.

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