6-12 volt

F

flathead48

Well-known member
I am thinking about converting my 6 volt ford to 12, I was told that ford continued on with 6 volt gauges after going to 12 volts. Can anyone give me a part number or description of the reducer they used. Thanks
 
Here's a link that should give you some good info and answer a few of your questions.
Yes it was written for '55 T-Bird owners but 99% of it should apply to most any 6 volt Ford.

https://www.ctci.org/battery-for-6v-to-12v-conversion/

Assuming the car has the old/original King-Seeley brand gauges... they function differently than '57+ gauges and should Not need a voltage reducer. They work on current flow and heat generated in a switching circuit, not voltage and variable resistance, so they are effectively self-regulating.
They are also not polarity sensitive.

Yes the '57+ gauge circuits use a regulator for approx 6 volts, but the gauges & sensors are also built with different electrical specs and aren't usually compatible when mixed with original 6 volt parts.

FYI, gauges and sensors in '56 Ford products are one-year-only and were designed for full 12 volts.
.
 

Attachments

  • 'King Seeley' fuel gauge diagram '55.jpg
    'King Seeley' fuel gauge diagram '55.jpg
    72.2 KB · Views: 17
Last edited:
I converted my 55 T-bird to 12v. There was no need to convert gauges or sending units to 12v, and they seem to be working as well as ever. However, you must use 6v senders with 6v gauges, and 12v senders with 12v gauges. Don't mix the two.
 
I have 3 gauge reducers, 12V flasher, horn relay, solenoid, and a bunch of 12V bulbs. Willing to trade for your 6V stuff.
 

Attachments

  • 12V.jpg
    12V.jpg
    57.2 KB · Views: 13

Attachments

  • 1mopar440#2.jpg
    1mopar440#2.jpg
    54.1 KB · Views: 16
JMFL36 said:
I have 3 gauge reducers, 12V flasher, horn relay, solenoid, and a bunch of 12V bulbs. Willing to trade for your 6V stuff.
Click to expand...
The "gauge reducers" (aka Runtz) do not work with 50's Fords King/Seely gauges however they can be used for other light load accessories.
 
I converted my dad's 55 T-bird to 12v because he said it was hard to start. He was very pleased with the conversion, saying it had never cranked over so easily before. Unfortunately, he didn't last too long after that. I followed Gil Baumgartner's (CTCI/Gil's Garage) instructions when doing the conversion.
 
The most common issue I've seen with problematic 6v starting systems is wrong sized battery and ground cables. You can't use the same gauged cables on a 6v system as you do on a 12v. 6v cables are quite a bit larger in diameter.
 
6v probably fine for low-compression flathead. OHV engines have higher compression, needing more cranking power. Ford continued 6v through 55, switching over to 12v in 56 (wonder why?). Okay to use 6v cables/w 12v battery. That other brand went to 12v in 55, pretty much for the same reason Ford did in 56.
 
I have heard what Herman say many times. Problem is that the big cables are getting hard to find. I wonder if a trucking garage has big cable that they make up?
 
You could fab a cable using wire from a mig welder. These cables are also much more flexible, due to the multiple internal strands.
 
Herman Munster said:
The most common issue I've seen with problematic 6v starting systems is wrong sized battery and ground cables. You can't use the same gauged cables on a 6v system as you do on a 12v. 6v cables are quite a bit larger in diameter.
Click to expand...
Corrosion, a bad connection or the wrong sized Ground cables can affect the electrical system just like a bad connection anywhere else, but they get overlooked for some reason.
Gene F said:
... Problem is that the big cables are getting hard to find. I wonder if a trucking garage has big cable that they make up?
Click to expand...
Welding cable can be used. When a long length has some damage in a small-ish spot it could make several cars worth of replacements.

The T-bird shops that do restorations have large "0" gauge cables for the 55's and may be able to make up cables in a requested length.

Shoebox Central seems to have cables available also...
https://shoebox-central.com/battery-4
.
 

Attachments

  • Battery Cables.jpg
    Battery Cables.jpg
    32.8 KB · Views: 2
Last edited:
Gene F said:
I have heard what Herman say many times. Problem is that the big cables are getting hard to find. I wonder if a trucking garage has big cable that they make up?
Click to expand...




I think it's still easier and cheaper to find the right cables than looking for and ordering all the resistors, bulbs and upgrading the generator or buying an alternator and then doing all the work to swap/install the parts.

A 6v starter only sounds slow and weak but will start a stock V8 fine. I had a '51 Cadillac with a 331 V8 that was 6V and started easily. A lot of car makers actually went to 12V because of all the electrical accessories that were becoming popular during to 50's. 12V also did make starting high compression engines a lot better. 6V will still start an engine with 8.5 to 1 compression reliably like in the 55 T-Bird with 292 and automatic.
 
This is what Ford used starting with 1957 - the one below is a later unit, but is the same in utilization - Instrument Voltage Regulator. These should be available at NAPA or some one like Dennis carpenter
 

Attachments

  • B9MZ-10804-C.jpg
    B9MZ-10804-C.jpg
    19.9 KB · Views: 1
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top