If you are like me, you have probably asked yourself, "Self, where can I get my original Bosch starter and alternator rebuilt by someone who appreciates these things as much as I do? Someone who will find original parts, do the work to a high technical and aesthetic standard, and who won't just rattle-can the parts with a thin coat of paint and call them a "rebuild?"
The answer is, at Euro Electric Service in East Freetown, Mass (up by New Bedford). Matt, the owner, maintains a web site at:
http://www.euro-electric.com/
And the phone number is 877-576-2292 or 508-995-3755. Leave a message, he'll eventually call you back.
Good Auto Electric places are rapidly going the way of the Dodo. Matt called me back when he got my stuff and we had a 20 minute conversation about the age of my parts and what I wanted done. I explained that this starter was, in fact, an ORIGINAL Bosch 002, the same one listed in the little white book as being the first starter used. I didn't want a rebuilt SR17X or SR68X, those are easy to come by at the local FLAPS-- I wanted mine rebuilt.
It turns out that the 002 has a single fin on the solenoid cover which is easily broken. In fact, every original 002 I've ever held in my hands, which has been about two others, is broken in this exact spot. It is SO easy when you are under the car working with a 13mm wrench to crack this insulation, I understand why they are all broken. Matt couldn't find an original for parts, and the cores I came up with were also broken, so he MADE the solenoid cap. He also swapped in some other parts from "modern" alternators in the drive to fix this one.
The alternator is actually a 55A Bosch, not an original 35A, but I wanted it to look like the original-- I sent him a ratty core from somewhere, and got this back.
Cost was about $230 for both, plus $28 to ship. This guy Matt is the most meticulous packer I have ever seen. TRIPLE boxed the stuff so it wouldn't get damaged-- you can imagine how easy it would be to destroy an alternator and starter in the same box.
Turnaround time? It took a few months, I was not in a hurry, and I told him so. I suppose you could negotiate whatever time you needed, but the point is, the guy does quality work and KNOWS early Bosch stuff, try that at the FLAPS, ha!
I wouldn't hesitate to send him my business, we need guys like this around.
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