I rebuilt a lot of them with just a front bearing and a set of brushes or a regulator assembly depending on the model.

I'm not preaching to you John because you understand, but all depends on what's wrong with the alternator and knowing what's wrong requires some product knowledge. I lost count of the friends who "rebuilt something" only to discover they did not fix anything. What they really did was buy a kit and replace a set of common parts with no understanding of how the machine works.

Your Bosch alternator has the following major assemblies that may or may not contribute to its failure.
        Rotor (including the commutator rings)
        Stator
        Regulator (including the brushes)
        Diode block
        Front sealed roller bearing
        Rear roller bearing (may or may not be sealed)

Have a failed rotor and replace the regulator and you fix nothing.
Have a bad regulator and replace the bearings and you fix nothing.
Replace a obviously failed front bearing and don't inspect the rotor and stator for contact damage and maybe you solved something, maybe not.
 
I quit rebuilding alternators over 20 years ago when it became obvious that off the shelf rebuilds were well worth the money!!!

The only exception is if the symptoms tell me the brushes are worn and only after I remove the belt and verify I feel no free play in the alternator shaft and the shaft spins free. Then I'll unscrew the regulator and look at the brushes. If they are well worn I'll put in another regulator.

Thanks, Tom Hargrave
www.kegkits.com
www.stir-plate.com
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-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf Of John Rodgers
Sent: Monday, December 1, 2014 2:15 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Alternator rebuild

Generally speaking, repacement of the bearings, polishing of the commutator with 600 grit wet/dry sand paper and putting in a new brush/diode set will get you up and running. BTDT many times. Haven't had to buy an alternator yet. (Knock on  wood)!

John the Gimp
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