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Thou g h t h e mo s t a r de n t ho t rodde r s among us may claim that a part just doesn’t belong unless it makes a car faster, hot rodding has long relied on both functionality and form. Certainly the earliest bare-

bones roadsters to roam the streets of southern California weren’t the most refined machines ever built, but there is no denying that while function may have driven their builders to drill their axles for example, form is what inspired them to chrome them. Powermaster Motorsports is a leading manufacturer of high performance alternators and starters that has spent the last 30 years developing products that achieve that all-timportant balance of function and form.

More and more cars are being assembled with a traditional aesthetic in mind, and builders go to great lengths to maintain that aesthetic at every level. But that’s not to say that they are doing so at the expense of drivability. A wide array of products are available that employ modern technology in a vintage package, from rotors hiding behind finned cosmetic drums to distributors masquerading as magnetos. To answer the need for a charging system that wouldn’t look out of place under the hood of a traditionally-styled hot rod, Powermaster introduced the PowerGEN in 2007. It wasn’t that the idea of hiding modern charging components was anything new by that point in time; enterprising hot rodders had already tried jamming small alternators, often from forklifts or similarly-sized equipment, into gutted generator housings. But the small alternators didn’t produce much more power output than the original generators, and they would often fail due to improper heat dissipation within the generator housing. Powermaster’s answer to this was to design the PowerGEN housings from scratch, coming as close as possible to the dimensions and visual characteristics of the OE-style generators while taking heat soak, dissipation, and the amperage called for by more modern components into account. We originally discussed PowerGEN alternators in TRJ #39, and while we don’t want to retrace our steps completely, we’ve seen enough of these units successfully employed in some very traditionally-styled cars that we thought it was worth taking a closer look.

Powermaster offers the PowerGEN in a variety of finishes that call as much or as little attention to the component as desired. Of all the vintage powerplants being pressed into use, the venerable flathead Ford undoubtedly faces the biggest hurdle with regard to concealing any modern charging equipment. While there isn’t anything wrong with a nicely polished alternator taking the place of the OE equipment, those of us with a taste for the authentic may find its front-and-center location a bit too apparent when assembling an otherwise period-style car. The dimensions of the standard PowerGEN housing are only nominally different than those of the stock generator, and when ordered in their black finish the high-output alternator hides in plain sight. Additionally, since all domestic generators and alternators have the same shaft diameter, original style pulleys and belts can be kept in service in many cases. Despite the difference in diameter between the OE and PowerGEN pulleys, the power generated by the rotation of the larger original

Masters of DisguiseBy Curt Iseli | Photos by Geoff Miles

Brandon Flaner of Santa Rosa, California, has a period perfect ’39 Ford coupe and it had us fooled for a few minutes. His Powermaster PowerGEN looks enough like the original Ford generator that you don’t notice it at first. Brandon plans to replace the modern alternator pulley with one off an old Ford generator to complete the look.

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pulley is enough to support any minimal accessory upgrades. If a significant number of modern accessories have been added that will require additional amperage, the smaller pulleys are recommended.

One obstacle hot rodders have been facing for decades is the interference of a stock generator with many multiple carb set-ups. The solution for more than a half-century has been to use an offset generator mount and get the charging system out of the way of the carburetors. Last year’s introduction of the “Shorty” version of the PowerGEN to some degree solves that problem. Although you probably still can’t run four Strombergs on your flathead without the off-set mount, the “Shorty’s” 1 ½ inches of additional clearance over the standard PowerGEN housing, provides the clearance necessary for many intake and carburetor configurations including most three-carb flathead set-ups.

Variations of the flathead Ford PowerGEN as well as their GM and universal offerings include any combination of painted, chrome or polished housings and pulleys. Additionally, Powermaster will supply the bare housings to those who wish to paint them to match the body or some other specific color. The painted components are simply shipped back to their plant for final assembly, eliminating the need for extensive masking or disassembly for paint prior to installation.

In addition to their stock-style charging components, a full line of high torque gear reduction starters – including their most recent offering for flatheads – provide reliable starting for the stoutest vintage or modern powerplants. And it’s an interesting evolution in starting technology that has ultimately lead to gear reduction starters becoming the industry standard. While many of our cars began life with a provision for the strenuous and potentially dangerous hand crank method of turning over the engine, the first electric starter motor installed on an automobile was a product of engineer Charles Kettering, founder of Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company (Delco) and later head of research for GM. The starter was installed on a Cadillac in 1911 and was subsequently added to their regular production line by the 1912 model year. The unit utilized a Bendix starter motor gear, which was patented just a few years earlier by American inventor Victor Hugo Bendix.

This pinion gear would automatically engage when the starter was turned on, and disengage when the flywheel began to spin. Despite the fact that the gear would disengage regardless of whether or not the engine was successfully started, the Bendix-based starter would become the standard for the next four decades.

But by the early ’60s, its days were numbered. The function of a starter is to overcome the rotational resistance of the engine by providing a short blast of high voltage to the starter motor, creating enough torque within that motor to turn the flywheel. As engine displacements grew and compression ratios rose, rotational resistance also increased, requiring more torque from the starter. Recognizing the need for more efficient starting power than what was possible with the Bendix-based starters, Chrysler developed the gear reduction unit, which debuted in the 1962 model year. The new design incorporated an internal gear train that would increase the torque and speed of the start while reducing the draw on the electrical system. For hot rodders, this design was a perfect fit because it not only answered the need to easily turn over any engine they could build, but its compact design allowed for more clearance in an area that was getting increasingly crowded by headers and other components.

Over the course of the next two decades as the popularity of gear reduction starters grew, two companies rose to the top of the aftermarket with two very different products. Hitachi Automotive Parts’ gear reduction starters became popular in the 1970s especially with the muscle car set, developing a reputation for their brute strength and cast construction. Less than a decade later, an alternative to the larger Hitachi unit was introduced when DENSO released their aluminum-bodied starter in 1980. DENSO recognized that one of the biggest impediments to reliable starter performance was heat soak. Ambient heat from sources like the

There are quite a few variations of the PowerGEN for the flathead Ford (above left). They come in short and standard lengths and in a variety of finishes, the most popular being fully polished and black paint. They also come in versions for both the early and late flathead engines. Powermaster has recently introduced a modern-style gear reduction starter (above right) for the flathead Ford V8 that comes in a housing that has the vintage flathead look.

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engine block and headers were often preventing the starter solenoid from operating properly because it couldn’t dissipate heat fast enough. DENSO’s design incorporated a lightweight aluminum starter housing, armature, and solenoid housing that would increase heat dissipation and reduce heat soak. Additionally, the DENSO units were considerably smaller and lighter than the Hitachi starters, which was attractive to hot rodders because it made them easier to install – and to keep out of sight – when space was at a premium and aesthetics were a consideration.

These two starter types remain the industry standard, and Powermaster offers both in various configurations that supply anywhere from 150 to a whopping 250 foot pounds of torque for the most monstrous street and race applications. In addition to torque output, another advantage of most gear reduction starters is their ability to be rotated to fit within the confines of the engine bay to ease installation and provide room for other components. Many of Powermaster’s units in particular employ their InfiClock

technology, which is a proprietary clocking system that allows the entire starter-mounting block to be rotated a full 360 degrees. All of the starters are shipped with shims to properly position the block, and the DENSO units actually have two planes of adjustment

that allow them to be installed and fine-tuned to achieve the appropriate pinion-to-flywheel gear relationship. A common mistake when installing a starter is the belief that the teeth of the pinion gear should engage the full depth of the teeth on the flywheel. In actuality, they should only engage 50 to 60 percent of that depth in order to fully disengage once the flywheel is rotating, thereby reducing the amount of wear on both gears. Powermaster provides the shims and measurements to insure proper installation and fit between components.

But those of us building temperamental street and race engines aren’t the only ones that benefit from modern gear reduction technology, which brings us back to that traditionally-dressed flathead. Last year, Powermaster debuted their Vintage Torque high torque gear reduction starter. This unit has the capabilities of a modern starter in an OE-style body that looks and mounts like the original flathead starter.

All of Powermaster’s performance alternators and starters are manufactured in their 147,000 square foot plant in West Chicago, Illinois, under the watchful eye of owner John Babcock. Some of you may recognize John’s name from TRJ #25 when we featured his Harry Bradley-designed and Donn Lowe-built 1940 Mercury convertible. John’s affinity for traditionally-inspired custom cars is apparent in the extraordinary level of elegant detail in the design and construction of his Mercury, but his automotive tastes aren’t limited – as evidenced by the big block Corvettes he’s also had in his stable. The point is that John is a hot rodder, and that mentality permeates through the culture of his company.

POWERMASTER

For those who are not running flathead V8s, Powermaster offers gear reduction starters in both DENSO (left) and Hitachi (right) types for most popular engine types. The gear reduction starters are more powerful, lighter and take up less space than the old Bendix starter motors. Powermaster also offers a host of alternator offerings as well (bottom). Two of their most popular are the chrome Smooth-Look and the DENSO-style alternator, which is great for any application where space is at a premium. They also offer low-mount brackets that locate the DENSO alternators to the side of the engine block. It’s a great way to give the top of the engine a clean look.