The Official "What The Heck Is This?" Thread

Yeah I have that same VR on my fender. This Motorola regulator was used for the V6 up through the early 1967 model year, when it was changed to a different model and moved to the firewall. The mounting holes for the VR pictured are in the side of the fender, directly behind the passenger side front wheel, and across from the alternator. The holes I'm talking about on my fender are in the rear of the wheel well, i.e. in the back of the fender, directly below the battery in that second view you sent.

 

The only reason I'm aware of the VR change is that I have a '67 V6 CJ-5 manufactured in August 1966. My brother in law also has a '67 V6, but his was manufactured a few months later, in Nov. '66. While mine has the earlier type of fender-mounted Motorola VR, his has the later type and is firewall mounted (near the ballast resistor). Both Jeeps have the original fenders as far as we can tell, but his passenger side fender doesn't have the VR mounting holes.

My guess is that Jeep engineers moved the VR to the firewall due to the fender-mounted location being fairly close to the ground, where it was more susceptible to damage from mud or water. The later Motorola R2K1 VR could also be installed on the fender in place of the earlier type, though only two of its three mounting holes would align with the holes in the fender.

Earlier type V6 fender-mounted Motorola TVR12W14 voltage regulator (used 1966 through early 1967 model years):




Later type V6 firewall-mounted Motorola R2K1 voltage regulator (used from early 1967 model year through ??):

 

By George, I think you identified it for Him...... Good one, Bfc !

 

Was the early type voltage regulator in your 1970 mounted on the firewall, or on the fender?

If it was mounted on the firewall, that's not too surprising. These two types of VR's were functionally interchangeable, and both shared the same 3-prong plug. They had overlapping mounting hole patterns, with two of the holes having the same spacing, but the third hole being different. Both types of VR's were probably still available during the 1970's.

However, if your early type VR was mounted on the fender of a 1970, that would definitely be surprising!

 

My '67's fender-mounted early type voltage regulator:




My brother in law's '67 with the later type voltage regulator mounted on the firewall:

 

I had something like that on the top of the passenger fenderwell of my '63. None of the wires were connected (cut, actually) but everything ran fine. It was completely wrapped with electrical tape (waterproofing?) and when I unwrapped it to see what it was it completely fell apart. I ended up throwing it away.

 

Motorola reg for my 66 TUX is mounted there on the fender.

 

From the factory my 65 had an oak strip, about 1 x 1 1/2” painted body color. It had two screws that came up from the bottom.

When I installed a new tank I went with the rubber bungee cords. IDK if the board was to keep it level or ? I removed it because it looked like a place that would remain wet and cause rust.

 

Awesome, always wondered what this part was. Mine was painted over at some point and can't read the motorola name anymore. It is located on the inside of the fender on my 68' though as well.

 

Does your firewall have mounting holes for a voltage regulator where this one's located?:

 

not sure, I will have to check.

 

I have a couple pics of the regulator on my 1971 V-6 cj5 and the lack of holes in firewall.1969 also had fender mount VR. Nothing is ever for sure on these jeeps.

 

truer words were never spoken.

 

That is fascinating!

We'll probably never know why the VR location was moved from the fender to the firewall, and then back to the fender - but that's evidently exactly what happened.

 

What's this tab on the base of the rollbar for, and can I remove it without regretting it later?

 

I'm pretty sure that extra tab was added by a previous owner, in other words, not OEM stock.
-Donny