[orange4boy]

The simplest alternator mod is to simply unbelt and disconnect it if you can and run with a deep cycle battery. I have been doing this for several months now and I would never go back. I removed the alternator completely after a week.

You need to be able to charge at home with a good automatic charger and on long trips charge at your destination or run two batteries. Depending on the draw of your particular vehicle you will get surprising range from one battery. Buy a digital multimeter and keep tabs on your voltage. Never let a starting battery go below 12.3 and a deep cycle below 12.1. This is resting voltage. Your battery will read lower when under draw but will rebound when left to rest for a few minutes. This can be a little disconcerting but you will get to know your battery and learn to trust it after time.

It's winter now an I can run an engine cooling fan, heater fan, lights, stereo, wipers, EOC, and shut off at lights and restart with about a 40 mile range.

None of this requires any fancy switches or wiring. For two batteries I used to hook them together with a good set of jumper cables.

I drove 135 miles on two used batteries from Vancouver to Seattle this summer.

I will probably post a DIY thread on this later.

Good luck, keep at it. I started where you are now just a few months ago.