[Dan Case]

Alternators were optional on several Ford and Mercury products before 1964. Mr. Mannel's excellent and very comprehensive reference book for small Ford V-8 engines shows the first in his 1962 221/260 engine section as supplied by Leece-Neville in 40 and 60 amp. By 1963 just about any Ford could have been ordered with the first version of the Ford built alternator associated also with Cobras, Thunderbolts, and Light Weight 427 Galaxies 1963-64. Most of the service parts available have 1963 Thunderbird or truck engineering number prefixes.

It wasn't important in 1979 but I saw a Cobra at the Jackson, MS "Shelby Meet" that year that was an early alternator equipped one that had an oval plate riveted to the case that proclaimed it was an engineering prototype. Some early alternator cars have non-production engineering number voltage regulators also. (Details like these get lost during rebuilds usually.)

Dan