Question regarding passneger car generators

garyrsatx · **Posted:** Thu Jun 07, 2018 12:51 pm

Hi all,

Our car, SP 127 ALAMO, has a Waukesha FC Series generator that was last rebuilt as of June 1980, two years before being sold into private ownership. We are fortunate that we have the original manual, found in the car. I have been able to find a few parts on eBay and elsewhere, but I haven't able to find all the parts. Now I'm not saying that it needs to be completely rebuilt, but its basically been for sitting for 36 years without being used. If anything we are looking to get a good parts stock built up.

Now my next question is, if the Waukesha is fubar, what motor is a suitable replacement?

Oh, but before I get to that, because our Waukesha is a "gen set" it has a Waukesha generator. We do not have a manual for the generator. Are they even rebuildable? If its not usable, what is a good replacement?

Gary R.
SA, TX

eze240 · **Joined:** Sat Feb 06, 2010 9:29 am **Posts:** 319

Aside from the possibility of getting some useable parts from a museum....your best bet would be to replace it with something newer..
I've seen a couple that reused the Waukesha box and slider tray... Shouldn't be too hard to swap a Perkins generator set into it...
You could talk to the guys that were advertising stuff from Oroville? They had several used gen sets for sale..

robertmacdowell · **Posted:** Thu Jun 07, 2018 9:30 pm

The Waukesha model FC is a hardy engine but parts are extremely unobtanium. We had a number of Fairmont A5 speeders with the FC and it was hopeless, especially when you need oversize pistons, undersize crank bearings and the like. Of course somebody in metro Detroit can custom make them, but you'll need to go to that extreme to get any joy.

Overmod · **Joined:** Thu May 24, 2012 1:37 pm **Posts:** 2492

If I'm not mistaken, we had a thread about replacement engines and gensets that contained the reference for a complete 'replica' system (a modern genset inside what appears to be a period-correct one).

hotbox · **Joined:** Thu Jan 14, 2016 9:35 pm **Posts:** 102

I seem to remember a few cars over the years which had a Thermoking brand refrigeration unit mounted under the car. I was told it was effective and inexpensive but, I don't have any personal experience with such units. Perhaps another member has some experience with this type of setup and can shed some light on this idea.