The original electrical system on the 1980 - 86 trucks left a lot to be desired. First, the source of electricity, the alternator, was an old design that was updated soon after these trucks were made. Second, the batteries were held in the truck in an odd way that was also updated in the next generation of trucks. And the method of distributing the power was also "old school" and was significantly revised soon after these trucks were made. Then there's the instrumentation, which used a bizarre method of "voltage control" that frequently caused wrong readings, and an ammeter that told the driver very little. The following pages outline the issues and what can be done about them.
