Ain't worth it. Production parts that cost OEM 2-cents will cost you fifty cents. Then you run into things like feedback ringing oscillation, load voltage slump, the list is intimidating. The best regulators use a MOSFET that triggers on residual magnetism that generates more than MOSFET gate voltage AC in the stator. I.e. a self-exciting regulator. No ignition switch needed.
Voltage regulators require enough negative current to bias the voltage sensing voltage divider network and transistors. Not much current but the wire needs mechanical strength and superb low resistance.
One thing about "ground" wiring, people. And this is crucial..
ANY extra ground cabling can act as The One And Only Ground Cable if the primary ground cable integrity is lost. I used to insulate my regs unless the reg itself has an isolated dedicated ground. Zero continuity at 20 meg ohm for isolation between case negative and any and all electrical terminals on the reg. A blinking "1" on a DMM
Inadvertant ground loops can cause fires and feedback damage so THINK before making a ground bridge that connects engine to chassis or body. Starter motor current is a gorilla that bites. If a regulator case ground is ISOLATED from the chassis and has it's own ground wire it stops ground loops dead. But my soldering of a ground wire direct to the reg case was no joke. I used 12-gauge wire for Mechanical Strength. Soldered. Heat shrink then wire insulation clamped clamped for strain relief. Tie wrap glue pads with a screw make great plastic or steel fenderwell tie wrap mounting points for secure anchoring.
ECU regs offer temperature compensation which I like. An underhood battery can go from -30F to +150F in underca half hour. Batteries do not like engine heat. Engine heat pisses sulfuric acid off and turns it into The Blob corroding battery plates like canapes. If I do blow a wad on a 2-story 31 Lifeline it goes in the trunk. With a 120 amp Misubishi upgrade I can play musical AGMs using someone else's labor and recharge batteries fairly quickly. I woud add an external rectifier. Pass a 1 gauge cable right alongside the port side door sills wrapped in nylon spial wrap. A maybe pipe-dream.
Use CARE when choosing a voltage regulator! There is a lot of utter undependable garbage on the market and then most of the rest is ho-hum incompetent me-too's with substandard performance. A regulator that slumps more than a tenth of a volt from no load to full load is garbage.
If I go AGM in the car I need to ---- can the ECU reg and replace it with a remote adjust reg. It would be a reg with a dedicated sense terminal.
But right now I have the BORG project sticking out my --- and while I am a big FAN of heatsinking I need to do two things. One is to quit with the stupid puns and second is to go back for more shuteye. Pain as usual blew it's goddamed reville trumpet in my ear at 0300. Say "Goodnight Dick"
