12 volt conversion not needed

I have to agree with Purdy Swoft. I changed my A model to 12 volts because a good 12 volt battery is cheaper than a 6 volt battery, I already had laying around everything else I needed except a self energizing regulator for a GM alternator, and I had a 12v neg ground LED brake light strip I wanted to mount in the rear window. So in the end, I did it partly because of economics and partly because I grew up with my dad driving a 1954 Dodge hemi v8. It was a very good car except it started slow in the winter, very slow. If ever a car needed 12 volts, that was it. They got 12 volts in 1956 and were reliable then. I changed a couple of flathead Plymouths over to 12 volts and never had any reason to regret it.
 
Ive driven A,s well over 100,000 miles and never had problems because it was a 6V system.The main reason vehicles went to 12 V in the mid 50,s was because AC,PW radios,heaters etc,not to mention the hi-comp V8,s that were becoming common.It got to the point that 6V just wouldnt handle it anymore.If I were going to put a bunch of modern accesories on my A,then I would go to 12V.But then,if Idid that,I would just have a car that looks like an A. Fix the 6V system so that it works as intended and they will start quickly & have good lights.
 
As I was reading this thread I was thinking the same, that comparing fifties cars to the Model A is like comparing apples to oranges.

I've never had a starting problem due to 6 volt on the stock A. Always fires by the second crank, hot or cold.

Granted I keep it timed, tuned and maintained, but who wouldn't no matter what you run?
 
Chris Haynes said:
If I could have my radio and GPS with six volt I would be happy to keep it.
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My Gps runs fine in my 6 volt positive ground '29 Town sedan. Bought a cigarette lighter socket at Wal Mart, wrapped electrical tape around its metal case so it wouldn't short out on any bare metal, clipped the negative wire to one of the terminal block studs and the red wire to a screw on the dash and "Voila", the GPS fired right up and ran fine. I also run a stock
generator with a regulator that keeps the battery charged fine even while running six volt sealed beams. Cranks slow in the winter, but always starts. If the motor needs to be spun fast to start, something is wrong.
 
Roadster62 said:
Thanks Purdy Swoft, Sounds like a lot of work just to get a different sound out of the starter. As for the GPS guys, I still read maps.
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Ghost here,
Kranky Ole' Bill's take on GPS: "If you don't know where to hell you're going, stay home, shine your "A," and save$$$$$.:mad: Bill W's Ghost:D
 
Roadster62 said:
I've never understood how more volts will run in a smaller wire, but less volts need a larger wire.
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Chief talked about those "little men" that ran along inside the wires making electrical stuff happen. They always run in only one direction. He said, "They start at the + battery post, down the ground cable to the frame, motor and body to the electrical devices, back through the -negative wires, and back through the main battery cable to the -negative battery post!"Now back to your question about smaller 12 volt wires, the "little men" are SHORTER in the 12 volt cars, SIMPLE!:D
I've concluded that people were shorter in '28 & '29, and mysteriously grew taller in '30 & '31.:eek:
I began to get this crap when he explained "CIRCUIT," based on the root word, "CIRCLE," which mans the "little men" must have a complete route to get back to the battery, 'cause they couldn't back up!!:eek:
Seriously, if that's possible, if you ever suspect bad grounding, clip your test light to your gearshift, stick the pointy probe on top of the+ positive battery post, and with key off, give it a long starter crank. Results: test light on= bad grounding, test light off= perfect grounding.:D
Test lights & dogs are men's best friends!!:D:D Bill W.
(Someone told me they had "GREMLINS" in their wires, that's a whole diferent thing!)
 
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"Little Men" inside the wires? All this time I thought it was smoke, when the smoke comes out things stop or go dark.
 
Roadster62 said:
"Little Men" inside the wires? All this time I thought it was smoke, when the smoke comes out things stop or go dark.
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I've heard that only solid state components are the ones with "smoke":confused: in them.I know very little about them, except I know what a solid state semi-conductor with a negative coefficient is.:D Looong time ago, I finally found out what makes a diode work, Pat's brother who worked for I.B.M. couldn't explain it to me!!:eek: I found the answer in the encyclopedia!:D Bill W. (not very scientific!)
 
Explaining electricity is the exact same thing as explaining religion IMO, you are born with the understanding or you're not. I know it exists, but when you get close to somehow understanding it a new term gets thrown into the discussion and I go back to doing bodywork and paint, the physical world, and let the gifted work in the theroretical. No three people will give the same answer on either topic.
 
Roadster62 said:
Explaining electricity is the exact same thing as explaining religion IMO, you are born with the understanding or you're not. I know it exists, but when you get close to somehow understanding it a new term gets thrown into the discussion and I go back to doing bodywork and paint, the physical world, and let the gifted work in the theroretical. No three people will give the same answer on either topic.
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Roadster62,
You're sumtin' else on 'lectricity!:D Bitchin' thing it is, can't see it, can't hear it, some you can feel,:eek: (DAMN!) some you can't feel, yet scientists tell us it's there with theories,(GUESSES!) & 47 terms, as you say, that we don't even know how to pronounce, let alone know how to spell!:confused::confused:
how does one "butter up" A GHOST?:eek: I'll see if I can make "points" with him, maybe he knows how to "OUT-FOX" 'lectricity!:D Maybe That Ghost of El Mirage guy can help us:eek::eek:

Cob or Ryan,
Can you add a GHOST smiley face?
Thanks in advance, Bill W.
 
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