I'd never do that.....

Check all the earth connections are nice and clean, terminal on the starter motor clean and tight.

james did it flicker as if there was a loose connection?
or
Did they sort of pulse like a pathetic disco unit?

1 is a loose connection - simple

2 the contacts in the voltage reg need cleaning and ajusting as well as looking at the state of the carbon brushes in the alt.( which also confirm your 15v and short points life)

@ twofifty very unlikley to be loom failure is it? at most a few bad contacts

Sean

option two sir !

i shall check out voltage reg later and clean terminals later, no idea how id go about checking alternator brushes, looking through the gaps it doesnt look clean but i know next to less than nothing about alternators

voltage reg if its an original at the bottom of the black cover thare are 2 plastic pop rivets

press out a little plastic pin from the centre , pull out the rivets and the cover lifts off

you will see a set of points, clean them with a bit of wet and dry paper

you will also see a wheel thing close by usually with 2 holes in it, turning that ajusts the output

i dont bother as ive got an electronic one

you want it to go up to about 14.5vthen hold steady as the revs increase, then come back down again when the revs drop

on the back of the alternator there is typically a couple of screws in the black plastic bit where the small lead goes, thats the brush pack undo the screw(s) and wiggle it out, there should be a fair old bit of carbon brush sticking out. The contact face should be slightly curved and have no step on it, dress it with a file if it does
the copper bit in the alternator should be fairly bright and not too scored.
the front of the alternator where you see the wires shouldnt have any big green pits in it.

plenty on tinterweb about alternators

and thats pretty much you sorted

sorted indeed, ill have a go tomorow, i would imagine it is an original, i shall investigate tomrow, am i write in thinking that the whole unit will un clip from wires, and i can have it on the bench to have a proper looksie?

yes and alternator best done on the bench too, however it'll all have to be back together to test it.

yer, ill take a look at the reg first, is it sort of adjust it, test it, i geuss it cant be done whilest the car is running, ill have a go tomrow

you can take the lid off the reg on the bench, clean the contacts. But it will have to go back on the car and then the engine run up and down to test* and make sure its not over charging

make sure that all the wound wire resistors on the underneath are complete and not broken, look to see if there is any broken wire or use your multimeter set to resistance or continuity and touch either end of each resistor

if any are broken you need a new reg

*think that there is a "measure the gap" type of instruction in the first edition of Haynes, not sure if its there in the latest edition
Sean

Since doing the points and timing, my car seems to be much more efficant!!
Lot less fuel being used!