The thing is the manufactures do want the car not to breakdown too soon. Gens go through brushes all the time so that is a major wear item, also the contact points in the VR are a constant wear item. The ACdelco
has a rebuild kit that cost $10. and is in any napa etc.. but I get a little modern sometimes..I have the electronic ignition from a 76 240 as well in my 220 and that has been bulletproof...still I keep the old ignition in the boot next to the spare tire which I have also never had to use....tires do not got flat as much as they used to, charging systems don't fail as much , points don't have to be done on modern cars. The new tech has good points and bad I like to mix and match to get the best of both, which I have in my 220 (also has Sears cruise control from the 70's).
It really is a to each their own kind of thing with the gens but I have spent enough time fooling with gens and VRs to know that Alts are the way to go for me...they are also lighter than gens, and in the case of the B18 easier to remove and install.
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Patrick, '68 220, '92 Eurovan , '53 PD4104 (highway coach conversion).