6 volt to 12 volt conversion

[hueyhoolihan]

The starter is used and came with the engine. It is working as it should but not turning the engine over fast enough. It spins the motor way faster on 12 volts. What specific problems do you see with my proposed setup? The truck would basically run on 6 volts, have the benefits of 12 volt easy starting and being able to use modern 12 volt conveniences.

i recently bought a '41, into which someone had installed an 8v battery. most likely to address a starting issue, i guess. they had also replaced the original 6v starter with a 12v starter. not sure whether it was intentional or just didn't know what they were doing. ...could barely turn the engine over and after only 10-15 seconds of cranking the battery drained to the point where it needed recharging. if the engine was fully warmed up, it wouldn't turn it over even one full turn.

replacing the starter with the original 6v starter (they had saved it and was in the trunk) was all that was necessary to fix it. now it turns over like every 12v system i've ever owned!

of course it didn't hurt that while searching for a solution and diagnosing the problem i cleaned every connection and replaced all the cables; battery, motor ground, and even the cable that runs from the solenoid to the starter with custom 00 copper ones.

 

[Eagle43]

When I built my 34 jalopy 10 years ago, I went 12 volts. 3 reasons-
1, I wanted a modern radio, hidden out of sight, or a conversion of a real 34 radio=expensive.

2, I wanted a cig lighter port to charge gps and phone.

3, it seems I am often flip flopping batteries around to get something dead running, and 12 v is common in the fleet.

.

You can get the benefits of #1 and 2 by installing a 6 volt to 12 volt converter. I just bought one on Amazon to replace the many dinkey ones I have installed. This one is 10 amps which will easily power any 12 volt item I will use. You can get bigger ones. I plan to install mine on the firewall close to the starter solenoid and run the 12 volt output wire into the glove compartment. I'll put in a 10 amp fuse.

Regarding #3, it's possible to boost a 6 volt car with 12 volts. Just be careful. Connect the the negative cable to somewhere on the motor and not on the negative post. Disconnect the negative cable first after starting.

 

[mfirth]

I'm a never saw the need guy, but wish you well......

 

[petehoovie]

You can get the benefits of #1 and 2 by installing a 6 volt to 12 volt converter. I just bought one on Amazon to replace the many dinkey ones I have installed. This one is 10 amps which will easily power any 12 volt item I will use. You can get bigger ones. I plan to install mine on the firewall close to the starter solenoid and run the 12 volt output wire into the glove compartment. I'll put in a 10 amp fuse.

Regarding #3, it's possible to boost a 6 volt car with 12 volts. Just be careful. Connect the the negative cable to somewhere on the motor and not on the negative post. Disconnect the negative cable first after starting.