I have a 1952 Buick Super that is giving me trouble. It sat for 25 years in a field before it came into my possession. It being my first classic, I have so many questions! On this post, however, I would like to focus on how to get it to run reliably. It was sold to me running on a 12v with a gas can under the hood. In the summer I swapped out the battery for the only 6v that my local place carries (with 575 CCA). I special ordered some tires from Coker, rebuilt the generator, scooped out 3-inch thick gunk from the oil pan, you name it. Since I bought the car it's been running off of a 12v fuel pump (for which I have a second battery). It was closer to winter when she quit, but it's not all that cold. My question is, why does it run on 12v but won't start on 6? Is it the CCA? Should I buy another $100 battery and run it in parallel, or drop $200 for a proper 6v battery? (650 CCA on the 12, btw). When it does start on 12v it runs like crap. I'm running 2 gauge wires, because that's what they had where I shop. Could my timing (there's not much room for play in the distributor) be that far off? I made (and tested) new plug wires, I have a new coil, new spark plugs, and I've taken apart the starter. It's my first classic. The carb obviously needs rebuilding or replacing (what fits the footprint of a WCD if I can't rebuild it?) but how much of a factor does that place on an engine starting? First post! Knowledge is the key. I know jack about spit.
WELCOME! #2 cables are not generally sufficiently large to start a 6-volt system. 00 is the norm. Try a tractor supply house for these, rather than your FLAPS. This change should facilitate starts with the 6 volt system. Running poorly once started may be a function of ignition, or carburetion, or both. First, set the points using a dwell meter, not a feeler gauge; THEN set the timing. ALWAYS set the dwell first, as a change in dwell will cause a change in timing. If you still have issues, look at the carburetor. As to what fits the footprint of a WCD? The WCD is one of the easiest two-barrel carbs ever made to rebuild; plus, it is an excellent carb. If yours is not rebuildable, plenty of them are available either rebuilt, N.O.S. or rebuildable cores. The only viable reason for switching to a different type/make of carb would be if you change intakes and install a four-barrel. Jon
Thank you so much Jon! I must admit that I was a little intimidated by the carb rebuild. Everything on the car is original (besides the usual bits). As for the timing, I've decided to go with a slightly more modern approach; I have ordered an electronic ignition system. While I was at it I got a new cap and rotor. The original plans for the Buick were to make it drivable enough to get me the short distance to work and back, so my goal is to make it as low-maintenance as possible while keeping it as close to stock as possible. And as it turns out there's a tractor supply just a mile from where I live! Hopefully that will fix the cranking issue, but the battery also has about half the recommended CCA. I've decided to just get a second battery (since there's plenty of room for it). Effectively the idea is to use jumper cables to get her started in cold weather. (Though I've jumped car batteries dozens of times, I am just now learning that I was essentially wiring two batteries in parallel). This was my first post and you've given me amazing feedback. Greatly appreciated, and I'll let you know how everything goes! Peter
Peter, I would highly suggest that, if you must install one of the electronic whizbangs, you FIRST install an alternator. Sometimes you can offset the alternator requirement by deliberately setting the idle way too high (so the generator will deliver voltage required by the electronics); but an alternator with the electronics will save you a ton of grief! As far as the dual batteries: hopefully, some electrical guru will check in as to what modifications will be necessary to either your existing generator or the alternator upgrade to allow charging of parallel batteries. I don't think it will work without modification to the voltage regulator. Literally billions of cold starts have been done with 6 volt ignitions (points and condenser) and stock batteries. If you are really concerned about sub-zero starts, might I suggest Mobil 1 when the mercury drops out of the thermometer. When I was a youngster, dipstick heaters were available. Dad couldn't afford one of those, so he would hang a trouble light under the oil pan when the temperature hit -15 or so. No problems. A few decades before Mobil 1 Jon.
Thanks Jon! Haven't been on here in a bit, because I don't have much by way of updates. I installed the new whizbang and for the first time, it fired up on a 6 volt! The charging abilities of the generator had not crossed my mind...but I suppose it should have. Twice the cold cranking amps, but twice the charging time as well. I should mention that its first start since the summer on the 6 volt system came in conjunction with the 00 battery cables. Man, what a difference! They were meatier than I imagined! I've ordered up a pair of cables with lugs on both ends so that I can run the two batteries. Heck, I really just want the thing to start up. The guy I bought it from (who was the owner of an establishment called "Rich's O.K. Used Cars") cautioned me to do my best to keep it turn key. Having been in the business a while, he knew the story of 'guy buys a car, takes it apart, sells it for nothing.' My logic is, that if it doesn't start with 1000 CCA, then I have bigger issues. Questions are, do they make 6 volt alternators? If not, won't the conversion cost me an arm and a leg? I'm pretty invested in keeping it as stock as possible (the gizmo was a bit of a cheat, admittedly, but it also idled for the first time in a long time). I've also noticed that the fan (engine, but the fan's connected to the belt of course), kicks back a partial turn sometimes when I let off the starter. Thought it might be generator polarity, but I've set it according to the manual. Is it possible it's not firing over because of a bent rod?
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