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As others have said. Don't run without an alternator unless you are using something like a 2CV where 2bhp of loss for charging is like losing 10% of your engine power!
I ran my 1600 Nova without one for a few races in 2002. Big mistake. Though the battery was tip top, it would drop to around 11v during the race, and the ECU would suffer as a result, and so would engine performance.
The main reason for not running one was the new ECU required a toothed wheel which took over the space where the alternator pulley went. After some machining, I managed to get one back on there. The car worked much better.
There are some nice little 55A alternators around which will do the job nicely. That's enough for a little race battery. And wire it directly to the battery positive. Your isolator is in the positive line, and once disconnected, the engine stops. The load remains on the alternator, which won't fry the regulator.
As has also been said, if your engine is a high revver, get a bigger pulley on it. The higher revs will create a even higher voltage going into the regulator which can cause premature failure. Modern alternators can cope with far higher revs than old ones. Let's face it, you've got cars like V-tec Civic's which rev to 14billion, and RX8's which rev more!
Rob.
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