Demistifying Alternators

[gehl@domain.elided]

TomH and others,
Regarding rebuilding alternators, I suggest you take one apart, get a 
workshop manual on it and learn it intimately (you're going to keep 
this vehicle forever, are you not?), inspect and/or replace both 
bearings, brushes; refurbish rotor conductors, diagnose electricals 

... pick up a couple of cheap junkyard alternators and scavenge them 
for parts (generally if an alternator has failed, there is only one 
bad component in it - it may have only one dead diode).

This knowledge will serve you well.  Mark