I have seen a lot of threads asking about switching from 6 volt to 12 volt, are any of you guys still running 6 volt and are you satisfied with it? HRP
6 volt positive ground on my model A and antique tractor. Works just fine as long as the ground is clean. These old machines turned over pretty easy because of the low compression ratios. When did most manufacturers go to 12 volt?
I did this thread a few months ago https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/living-with-6v-how-is-it-really.1148420/
I do not really have a issue with 6 volt positive ground. I wake up at night wondering if 12 volt positive ground we would have a better world. At this point I am dealing with 6 volt positive ground ... I want to make my original radio work. Sometimes I just wonder if it would be easier to go 12 volt. We only have original once, depends what you want.
Most didn't change to 12 volt until 1956 models, most of which were introduced in late 1955. GM began the switch to 12 volt in I believe 1953 on some senior models and extended it to Chevy and Pontiac for 1955 models. Ford Motor Co, Chrysler Corp, Studebaker all waited until the '56 models. Ray
The best thing that has happened to the guys running 6 volts is the advent of the Optima battery. Some people may have experienced some problems with them, but I'm working on my third in my '51 Ford and it works just fine. The first one lasted 13 years, the second one 14 years, and I have 1 year on this one. There is a problem with accessories, but we are working on a solution for that. At the present time, I am running a backup camera, GPS, and a CD player in my '51 Ford with a prototype voltage booster. I think a lot of you know that we have already developed a device to run any 12 volt motor tach on 6 volts. The beauty of this is that the modern devices are very efficient and require a surprisingly little amount of current to run them. And they are surprisingly cheap.The stuff I am running takes about 1/2 amp at 12 volts, which requires about 1 amp at 6 volts. It is kind of inefficient, but when you consider that the stock radio requires a 14 amp fuse, it's reasonable enough. The reason we are still in prototype stage is that we are trying to increase the efficiency of the unit.
I'd like someone to explain how 12 volts flow through smaller gage wire than a 6 volt system without a fire. Bob
I've been driving my 49 Plymouth every summer since 1993, racking up over 40,000 miles. All with the original 6 volt system. Never had an issue or breakdown. I replaced the wire harness and battery cables back in 93, and I keep the generator oiled. THe lights are as bright as any 12 volt car I own. I wouldn't even consider switching it to 12 v.
There's an equation, something about Power = Voltage X Current If you understand algebra, and understand that power is what the load is, then you'll see that by supplying twice the voltage to power a specific thing, it only draws half the current. And current is what burns up wires. So, using 12v to run a 6v system actually reduces the chance of burning stuff up. (this is a gross oversimplification, so don't beat on me too badly, those who know electricity well)
Think about water and a hose. If you apply a greater pressure (12 volts) on the water through a smaller hose, the volume out of the hose (watts) will be the same as a larger hose with less pressure (6 volts).
Hey Squirrel, this is off subject, but do Alliance members get any discount when buying Classic Instruments gauges ?
I have been driving my 55 F100 for 9 years with no problems. Clean grounds, proper gauge wires, and 0 or 00 battery cables works wonders.
The 6 volt system in my 52 Chevy has never been a problem. Still run the original generator. Maintenance is the key in my opinion. I had to replace a few of the cloth insulated wires, from wear, but that's it.
Thinking about the same thing recently. I have acquired another stock Model A. Does everything it is suppose to do. 6 volt with a new battery. Fires right up and goes down the road nicely. Had it out for it's maiden run for me last weekend. Only issue, the rear main area is leaking pretty bad. Mind you, I don't baby these stock A's. 45 - 50mph for long periods. I guess I deserve what I get in the leak department. I'm thinking I leave it alone for now and enjoy it for what it is but 12 volt is always in the back of my mind! .
My 9N works wonderful on the stock system. But both the 39 & 49 Fords have 12v generators for a safer more efficient electrical system Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Using a 8 volt battery is mostly a ‘patch’ for a poorly maintained 6 volt system. It creates a few potential problems ‘re the charging system. Proper wire/cable size and clean terminals usually will fix any problem to which the default solution was an 8 volt battery. And, the poorly maintained system may still be there. Ray
Gary, Classic Gauges is a Alliance Vendor. HRP Classic Instruments – Nobody does a custom gauge like Classic Instruments… Nobody. That’s why we were so fired up to hear that they were joining the Alliance. What do we get? 10% off on any standard gauge packages, 10% off the design and production fees for custom design services (round, full sets only), and 10% off ($300 max) any retrofit projects you bring their way.
Still 6v on my 55 fairlane. I dont have any added accessories like ac or anything, and it suits me just fine. I have recently switched over to a 6v alternator, it was cheaper than getting my generator rebuilt and charges a little better, so why not.
Ford went 12v in 1956. The same year they switched from cloth wiring to rubber wiring. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
I had a '66 VW that had 6 volt wiring (the last year) it worked well but the head lights were not seal beams, just bulb's. If I was driving at might and a car was following me I could see a shadow of my car in front of me because the lights were so dim,even on bright. HRP
A friend of my dad had a 6V VW bug back in the day, and the lights were quite dim as you say. He got the suggestion to add relays fed straight from the battery to the headlight circuits (to get rid of the voltage loss through switches etc.). I suppose he wasn't quite convinced by the people saying how much better it could be, so he just added it for the low beam. The improvement was quite big, in fact so big he stopped using high beam - low beam was much brighter. There's nothing wrong with 6V systems, they just require fatter wires etc, and are more sensitive to all kinds of resistance in the circuits. It seems that good 6V bulbs just gets harder to find and for other accessories there may also be problems finding them, but if you have a good working 6V system there's no reason to convert it to 12V. On the other hand, if it isn't working correctly you need to start choosing between fixing that or replacing it.
Hell yeah! Been running 6 V on the 5 w for damn near 20 years & the 34 is also 6V & mech brakes. On the roadster I added a 3rd brake light from a blazer,(it is 12 V) & I bought a drok 6to 12 converter. Been working for 4 years.
Danny, Unless you had a European market VW, you had seal beams for headlights. They were mounted, recessed, in buckets with the glass cover lens and there was a small bulb down low in the base of the bucket that served as a parking lamp as I recall. The light on top of the fender was the directional signal. With the many detail changes in ‘67 models, the headlights were no longer in the glass covered buckets and, as you pointed out above, the vehicles finally got the 12 volt upgrade. In my early career days, I worked for VW for several years and have driven over 250,000 miles in VW’s. Ray