please don't go to kanter for anything....if you want quality wireing go to narraganset wiring in R.I. . KANTER'S STUFF IS BULLSHIT IN MY OPINION AND I BEEN AT IT A WHILE. some is genuine n.o.s. and some is bull shit brazil made rubber parts etc.if your battery keeps losing charge and it is a good battery, maybe the points in the regulator are sticking. when the car sets the regulator points corrode and ends upo stuck. you can file them. nothing wrong with 6 volt systems. make sure your battery cables are 00 gauge. cadillac dave
All my cars are 12v... But my Farmall H wouldn't start in the winter until I put 2 gauge wire all the way around and it will fire in 20 below weather now.
I agree with Lull ... I've had 3 old cars with 6v systems and the most essential fix you can make is to ensure you have the proper battery cables. The skinny 12v won't do -- you need thick #1 or #2 cables such as on some big trucks. Clean terminals, good wiring, and a well-tuned engine are critical, too. Bear in mind, the 6v system on a 1940 doesn't crank as fast as more modern cars. But if your engine is original, it should be a low-compression job and thus start up more easily. My '37 Packard turned slowly when cold, but always started -- even in sub-freezing weather. If I shut it down for a few minutes after it had warmed up, it cranked a lot faster. The only annoyance I've had with 6v systems is a re-start on a hot summer day after the car was stopped for 10 or 15 minutes -- and this happened mainly on my 54 Packard straight-8 and sometimes my 52 Caddy V-8. They have higher compression engines than my 37 Packard, and the "heat soak" after a long engine run expands the pistons, making the engine tighter. Hot weather won't help the engine cool quickly -- so you get a much slower cranking at re-start. When I bought my 54 Packard, it had an 8-volt battery with 12v cables ... I found it worked far better with 6v and correct 6v cables. (I also tried one of those modified $175 batteries that has a solenoid on top -- delivers 12 volts to crank the starter, but then operates at 6v once started. Damn thing worked fine for about a month, then started smoking the wiring ... not worth it!)
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left width="100%">One of the more common reasons for slow engine turnover using an original six volt system is under size battery cables. Most of todays auto parts stores only stock the smaller diameter 12 volt design. Unknowing owners mistakenly replace their original worn cables with shinny new ones that are as much as half the diameter as needed. Two ground cables are also required: One from the battery to the frame and one from a starter mounting bolt to the frame. Six volt starters require twice the electrical flow to operate properly. Dont blame your six volt system for slow unacceptable starter motor speed! Many restorers go to the expense of changing their 6 volt system to 12 volts. They feel their original system was inferior and believe what they did was necessary. The problem could have been corrected with just adding the three proper cables. Remember: Millions of cars and trucks were made with 6 volt electrical systems each year. If they had not operated correctly they would have been built with 12 volt systems! </TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left width="100%"><TABLE id=AutoNumber1 style="BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse" borderColor=#111111 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="50%">Click on image for a larger view. </TD><TD width="50%"> </TD></TR><TR><TD width="50%"></TD><TD width="50%"> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left width="100%">Jim Carter email: [email protected]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
I was running the original 6 volt system in my 53 up until 2 years ago..worked fine. key is..good grounds, good connections (tight) and good wires. and the right size wire is always a plus. think of it this way..that 6 volt system worked good enough before it got screwed up. and on many cars in the past. As long as its in good repair it should do you fine. The only reason for the 12 volt up-grade in my 53 was i swaped out the 235 for a 327. and decided it was time.
First, why is it so important to have clean connections and correct size wires/battery cables? Think of it like this, work, electrical work that is, is mesured in WATTS. and watts is equal to volts times amps. We all know what volts is, think of it as pressure. Amps is the flow of the pressure/volts. It takes so many watts to crank an engine or light a bulb etc.. So if you want to do crank an engine with 6 volts and not 12 volts you will need to have 2 times the amp flow, all other things equal. You will need larger battery cables and VERY good clean connections. Make sure you have a good correct size battery to provide the cranking amps your car needs. This can be done, I have a two 6 volt cars, one sits outside all year and they both start fine. 6 VOLTS IS COOL AND IT WORKS!
First, why is it so important to have clean connections and correct size wires/battery cables? Think of it like this, work, electrical work that is, is mesured in WATTS. and watts is equal to volts times amps. We all know what volts is, think of it as pressure. Amps is the flow of the pressure/volts. It takes so many watts to crank an engine or light a bulb etc.. So if you want to do crank an engine with 6 volts and not 12 volts you will need to have 2 times the amp flow, all other things equal. You will need larger battery cables and VERY good clean connections. Make sure you have a good correct size battery to provide the cranking amps your car needs. This can be done, I have a two 6 volt cars, one sits outside all year and they both start fine. 6 VOLTS IS COOL AND IT WORKS!
Model A's are notorious for getting poor grounds, and it's a positive ground 6V system. We generally run an extra ground from a flywheel housing to the frame, and that helps some. But what really made my A, restored more than 40 years ago, reliable as a new one was the addition of a 6V pos grd alternator. Current all the time from idle on up, and the battery would stay charged for months with no attention. A couple years ago I added a 6V Optima and it's even better now. If you're concerned with looking original, get one of the newer generator-looking alternators, but get an alternator and your battery will stay up, and you'll run better at idle and start easier due to the fully charged battery. Good (heavy) wiring and grounds are a must, though, for a healthy and happy 6V system. Fearless
You forgot to mention the 6V Pos. ground alternator (GM one wire style) is less than $100 postpaid to your door. A place in the Ozarks is where I (and several other Stude Club chapter members) got theirs. Great piece of equipment!
The Jalopy Journal
