American Motors: Battery Drain 1977 CJ-5, voltage drop test, alternator voltage regulator

Question
Kevin I have a 1977 CJ-5 with 232cid motor i have converted over to an hei distributor. my problem is my alternator does not seem to be charging my battery when the jeep is running. i have replaced the alternator and this did not fix the problem and i replaced the external voltage regulator about 6 months ago. I have charged the battery and cleaned the terminals. but if i drive at night my headlights start to dim and within 20 min they go out and the battery is dead. I was wondering what type of test to run on this to check for the bad component. i am assuming it is the alternator, voltage regulator, or the solenoid. I also replaced the starter about 4 months ago. thanks
Adam

Answer
Take a Voltage reading at the battery with the engine running. It should be around 14 Volts. Then measure the Voltage at the alternator, also around 14 Volts. If it is OK at the alternator but low at the battery, perform a Voltage drop test of your wiring. You could also replace the exsisting alternator with an AC Delco unit as found on later models. This has an internal regulator.