CLASSIC DYNAMO & REGULATOR CONVERSIONS LTD 

 Hello all, my name is Peter - I am what I call a Vintagentalist.

That's a typical Vintagent but one who also specialises in a particular area of vintage motoring!

A life long vintage car and motorcycle enthusiast, owner, driver, rider and a City & Guilds qualified electrician. 

An enthusiast providing a service for like minded enthusiasts.

I have been actively involved with old vehicle electricalities since the age of 14 when I wired up the lights on an old Raleigh Wisp moped that my dad gave me as a pile of bits. It worked!  This was soon followed by a 1952 BSA C10 that had a dynamo.

Ever since then along with restoring, repairing, driving and riding them I've been fixing and modifying old vehicle electrics in my spare time to suit the needs of myself and others. 

Over the years I've met many classic and vintage vehicle owners who have all had the same problem, this being dim lights and bad charging on their pride and joy.

In 2010, taking all this into account I did some serious research into a modern solution to these problems.

Classic Dynamo Regulator Conversions 

was the result and what a success it was! Within a few weeks of starting up I was getting enquiries as to whether our conversions were suitable for pre war 3 brush dynamos that just had a cut out. Seeing that I had already converted 3 brush dynamos on my own pre war vehicles I expanded.

That's when I added "&" to the business name and so 

Classic Dynamo Regulator Conversions became 

Classic Dynamo & Regulator Conversions

The name is intended to sum up exactly what we deal with.

Classic vehicle Dynamos, Regulators and also Conversions

to both of them.

We completely and properly rebuild and restore 2 and 3 brush dynamos to better than factory spec using modern materials.

We also completely and properly rebuild and convert 2 and 3 brush dynamos to make them very efficient so they can work alongside a very efficient electronic regulator. Since the word has spread, the mainstay of our work is now for pre war vehicles.

We don't rebuild inefficient mechanical regulators and cut outs because a solid state electronic device is far superior to any mechanical device be it new old stock or reconditioned. They will never do the job as well as an electronic device. 

For this reason we convert mechanical devices giving you and your vehicle the benefits of 21st century maintenance free technology that can't be seen.

Late in 2012 after months of research I introduced my own range of LED products to further improve the kind of cars we drive. The range is based on my knowledge of vintage and classic car and bike needs. Available in 6 and 12v, negative and positive earth they greatly improve even the smallest vintage lamp, at the same time, taking the load off the charging system whilst being a direct replacement in most cases for original filament bulbs. 

The range of products we offer has grown from just 7 products in 2012 to well over 100 different products by 2018, making it the best range of LED products available tailored to suit our kind of vehicles. Others may offer a similar, more limited range of products but we believe our knowledge of older vehicles and their electrical systems gained in more than 30 years of owning and dealing with vintage and classic cars and motorbikes, is superior to others. 

In February 2015 due to a continually growing workload and the need for more space, we moved to new bigger, customer friendly premises.

By June 2015 our workload was getting so big we had to make changes to the way we did things. Workload was starting to exceed our output capability. 

Early in September 2015 after a long search for the right person we took on Dave.

Dave is competent in mechanical and electrical engineering.

On April 1st 2016 we became a limited company

Our company number is 9906284

Towards the end of 2016 after 4 years of research, development and on-vehicle testing, we introduced the entirely new ADR electronic regulator. This unit is far superior to any other electronic dynamo regulator available. 

Designed by us and made right here in Lincoln, UK.

Cooler running and more resistant to vehicle electrical faults it will fit inside ANY original regulator box and MOST cut out boxes.

We often re-convert regulators that have already been converted by others using other electronic regulators, and failed in service.

In 2017 we introduced our now incredibly popular ADR106 and ADR95 electronic versions of the old Lucas RB106 and RF95.

In January 2017, Dave became full time.

In August 2018 we opened a shop counter at Saxilby.

In 2020 we welcomed Mo aboard. 

Mo keeps an eye on stock, processes online and telephone orders, packs them and does the posting.

At the end of July 2021, Dave left us for new horizons and we welcomed Drew on board. Drew is an enthusiast and self taught engineer (like myself) having been bought up with our kind of cars. He has great mechanical and electrical knowledge and an attention to detail that is second to none. 

In February of 2023, Roger joined us. 

He's keen and a good engineer of the old school variety.

Currently as of September 2023, we have Neil on board who is a very competent old school engineer and a friend of many years. 

Neil is a fellow vintagent and has an eye for quality and detail.

A big welcome to Anita, our self-employed book keeper since the begining who is now "on the cards".

We offer our services to private individuals and also to the trade and work for many well known vehicle restoration companies.

We are entirely independent and have no connection what so ever with any other company.

We have built up our good name and reputation by providing a reliable and quality service before, during and after sales or works. 

Unlike some other companies, we value your custom and will always do our best to answer your questions and solve any related problems associated with our conversions or products before, during and after sales. From the feedback we get from customers, other companies in the field have proved difficult to deal with and customers of those companies now prefer to do business with us.

We have a strong commitment to customer satisfaction.

We only advertise our services and products in The Automobile  magazine and select other publications.

You can find links to our website on many owners club sites and forums inc. the Vintage Austin Register and the 

Austin Seven Friends forum. 

These links have been placed there by satisfied customers.

There are also many articles that can be found in club journals and also online regarding our high quality service.

We are the number one manufacturer/supplier of high quality tailor-made LED products for our kind of vehicles.

Enthusiasts and owners with a wealth of knowledge to help like minded people.

We carry out overhaul, rebuild and conversion works for individual enthusiasts, collectors, car clubs and vehicle restoration companies around the world.

Unlike some others, we DO NOT just clean up original parts, fit cheap bearings and cover up with a coat of paint.

A satisfied customer described our rebuilds as 

"a new dynamo inside an old case"

Enough said!

Now, many people consider classic or vintage vehicle electrical systems to be a no go area. It is an area best left to those who do know if you aren't electrically competent.

Mechanical compensated voltage controls (CVCs) are the biggest offender  when old vehicle electrics play up, along with the primitive 3 brush dynamo and its mechanical cutout. 

These are the three areas we deal with.

One of those areas being the conversion of a mechanical cutout or regulator to efficient electronic operation.

Things got a whole lot better when someone developed an electronic dynamo regulator for classic motorcycles a few years ago. Since then, it's been copied and bettered by some. Only one has designed a range of regulators to suit the needs of motorcycles and cars. This range has been developed and improved to the point where they are now as good as they can ever be.

Many like things to look "factory" or "original" under the bonnet of an old car and the same with an old motorbike. To look as it did when the vehicle was new. In some areas modern technology can be used and hidden completely to upgrade a particular item and make it perform better and be 100% reliable (electronic ignitions, magnetos and solid state switching for electric fuel pumps etc). In the case of an electronic dynamo regulator, this makes your old car or bike far more usable especially after dark.

Please look round the site to see what is available.

There is a regulator conversion available for all old cars and motorcycles.

Take the time to read the true account below.

 I well remember back in 2001, driving along in my 1946 Ford Eight in the Peak District. I'd just climbed a  1 in 4 hill on my way to a vintage vehicle show and jumble. At the summit I was greeted by an old chap and his wife with their pre war MG PA. He was under the bonnet desperately trying to put out flames with a cloth! I pulled up, gave him the small adjustable spanner that I carry inside the Ford and told him to disconnect the battery while I gave the flames a smart squirt with my fire extinguisher.

Once the fire was out he explained that he had stopped at the top of the hill to take some pictures when his wife alerted him to the smell of burning plastic and smoke coming from under the bonnet. When he lifted the bonnet he saw flames licking up the bulkhead dangerously near to the carburettor.

On closer examination I found that the cutout points had welded themselves together after they had failed to seperate. With the battery connected, the dynamo was in fact trying to turn the engine and the cutout points became a point of very high resistance. They got so hot, they melted setting fire to the plastic insulation on the cables. This had spread very quickly. The dynamo had also been "cooked". Had I not turned up when I did, I think he would have said goodbye to his treasured MG as he would have had to stand there and watch it burn.

       "An electronic regulator has NO mechanical switching and NO moving parts. What happened to this poor chap would NOT have happened if he'd had a simple 2 brush conversion and an electronic regulator fitted. If your vehicle already has a 2 brush dynamo then all you need is the electronic regulator"

That chap could be YOU! I may not be there in my Ford Eight to help you but I can help you make it an avoidable situation.

The following just about sums up old and worn electrical components as fitted to British cars pre 1960. Today it needn't be a problem.

Have a read.

Positive grounding depends on proper circuit functioning, which is the
 transmission of negative ions by retention of the visible spectral
 manifestation known as smoke".

This has been referred to as the smoke theory as when the smoke comes
 out its finished, cooked or done for.

 Smoke is the thing that makes electrical circuits work. We know this
 to be true because every time one lets the smoke out of an electrical
 circuit, it stops working. This can be verified repeatedly through
 empirical testing.

For example, if one places a copper bar across the terminals of a
 battery, prodigious quantities of smoke are liberated and the battery
 shortly ceases to function. In addition, if one observes smoke escaping
 from an electrical component such as a Lucas voltage regulator, it will
 also be observed that the component no longer functions. 

The logic is elementary and inescapable!

The function of the wiring harness is to conduct the smoke from one
 device to another. When the wiring springs a leak and lets all the smoke
 out of the system, nothing works afterwards.

Starter motors were considered unsuitable for British motorcycles for
 some time largely because they consumed large quantities of smoke,
 requiring very unsightly large wires.
It has been reported that Lucas electrical components are possibly
 more prone to electrical leakage than their Bosch, Japanese or American
 counterparts. Experts point out that this is because Lucas is British,
 and all things British leak. British engines leak oil, British shock
 absorbers, hydraulic forks and disk brake systems leak fluid, British
 tyres leak air.

Therefore, it follows that British electrical systems must leak smoke.
 Once again, the logic is clear and inescapable.

In conclusion, the basic concept of transmission of electrical energy
 in the form of smoke provides a logical explanation of the mysteries of
 electrical components especially British units manufactured by Joseph Lucas, Ltd

And remember:  "A gentleman does not motor about after dark".

Joseph Lucas The Prince of Darkness  1842-1903


The Lucas motto: Get home before dark.

Lucas is the patent holder for the short circuit.

Lucas - Inventor of the first intermittent wiper.

Lucas - Inventor of the self-dimming headlamp.

The three-position Lucas switch--DIM, FLICKER and OFF. 

The other three switch settings--SMOKE, SMOULDER and IGNITE.

The Original Anti -theft device - Lucas Electrics.

With the technology available today in the form of modern materials and components none of the above need apply.

A PVC insulated cotton braided wiring loom

A rebuilt and/or converted dynamo

An electronic regulator with fault protection and fusing

A set of LED bulbs

Connections made using new connectors.

All this takes the smoke out of your electrical system!

A gentleman can now motor after dark and with confidence!

info@dynamoregulatorconversions.com

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