I am planning on buying a 1953 chevy that is 6v. how difficult is it and what do i have to do to change it to an 8v or 12v system?
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Forget the 8v, go straight to 12v. First off, before ANYTHING else, you need to go through your wiring and check for cracked or missing insulation. If your car still has the original wiring it's a fair bet that some of the insulation is bad. If it all looks good, proceed. Change gennie and reg to 12v or fit an alternator. You can retain the original starter. Change all bulbs to 12v Fit 12v sealed beam headlamps. Fit a "Runtz" voltage dropper on any electrical gauges (fuel, temp) but not needed for ammeter. Runtz are $15 from www.thenightprowlers.com Fit a 20A voltage dropper for your wiper motor, heater motor. $30 from Speedway Motors. Fit a 12v relay for your horns. You can retain the original horns. Your 6v wiring will be fine for 12v, so long as it is in perfect condition. Change coil to 12v and fit a ballast resistor so that the points are getting 8 or 9 volts. This prolongs the life of them. All your switches, ignition, headlights etc will be OK on 12v. That's about it.