generator wiring

[JAG]

Dave, you're the man!  Too many forums are a total waste of time. Thanks for the good info.

Tony

[David Pollock]

The larger terminal is the armature. The generator is shunt wound which means the large terminal is wired to one of the brushes. the other brush is grounded.   If in doubt still, raise the brushes and the larger terminal will not draw any current.  The smaller field terminal will still draw current with the brushes raised. The regulator limits the current to the field windings, thus controlling generator output.

[JAG]

I'm putting together a car and need some help. It's a 48 Plymouth coupe that has been converted to a 12 volt system. It has a 12 volt generator in it from a 56 chrysler. The two terminals on it are not labeled. Can anyone tell me which is the field and which is the armature? One terminal bolt is slightly larger than the other. I can't connect it to the voltage regulator until I find out which is which. Thanks for any help you can provide.