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Getting a Charge out of Delcos:
Collector restores 'power of the post'
By Leslie C.McDaniel
Photo by G. Wayne Walker Jr.
The next time you reach to turn on a light, stop yourself. Ask whether you really need the light, whether the generator's charged, whether you can do without. Then you'll have an idea of what it was like to live on a farm before rural electrification.
Now, of course, an entire generation regards electricity as a basic birthright.
"Only the wealthy farmer could afford a Delco," Don said.
At the close of the 20th century, a Delco generator is regarded as little more than a curiosity from another time. Although the compact units once generated power for such basics as lights, radio, refrigerator and iron, they turn up now mostly on junk heaps ... unless you're a collector, like Don.
Don and his brother-in-law, between them, have a collection of 30 to 40 Delco generators. The company's production of generators peaked between 1916 and 1946.
"During that time, Delco built 70 different models of generators," Don said. "We'll never have them all, but we have 10 different models."
Don's involvement with Delcos is tied up in family connections. Years ago, his father-in-law had a part-time job installing Delcos. A brother-in-law collected gas engines. Don leaned that way at first -picking up four or five along the way -- but didn't exactly fall in love with the relics. Then he reconsidered the Delco.
"I had studied industrial electronics," he said. "You don't see Delcos a lot. Nobody really understands the electrical part, and if you don't get that right, it won't run right. So I decided to narrow it down to Delcos."