thanks for all the help guys. wreckers over here want an arm and a leg for a spare alternator. i've decided to just take the car off the road as i'm gonna start work on the damage that was done to the front and rear. there's loads mechanically that needs doing to it as well such as front suspension etc. so i'll just do all that in one go. no point rushing to get the alternator fixed when the car would have been off the road soon anyway. i'll still be taking your advice as far as the brushes go if i can't find suitable ones. thanks again.