Battery 6v with 12 volt start only

S

storyteller

Member
My '37 is not pure stock and I was considering installing a 6-12 volt battery from Antique Auto Battery Co. of Hudson, OH. It requires a parallel switch to divert 12 volts to the starter and then switches back to 6 volts for everything else. Anyone got one of these and is it worth the cost? About $315 including shipping. Mac's has a standard 6 volt Ford script battery for about $305 (pick up at their store). I do not plan to change everything over to 12 volts. Thanks for your input.
 
If everything is correct, i.e. wiring, battery cables, clean contacts, good tune up etc 6V is all you will ever need. my 2¢.
 
Lawson Cox said:
If everything is correct, i.e. wiring, battery cables, clean contacts, good tune up etc 6V is all you will ever need. my 2¢.
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I Strongly Agree;

Why do you think you need 12 V for cranking?

If everything is in good condition but you have a fresh engine that is "Tight" and you are experiencing slow cranking especially when the engine is hot, I would temperarially install two 6 V Battaries in Parallel. This will give you twice tha cranking amps but your charging system, just as it is, will keep both charged. After you get your engine run in and loosened up, you can remove one of the batteries.

In any case, be sure your charging system is in good condition. If you have a two brush generator with a regulator, be sure the regulator is adjusted correctly. Lots of time, the regulator is out of adjustment. You should have a charging voltage of apx. 7.0 to 7.2 volts. for a 6 volt system.

Also, I have found Optma 6 V batteries to have excellent cranking amps. I have used them for about 5 years not with very good success.

Let us know what problems you are experiencing.

Chris
 
A while ago, Rumbleseat posted a neat way to run the starter on 12 volts. He had an additional 12 volt battery that ran thru an isolated switch to the starter motor. If the engine did not fire on 6 volts, he hit the other switch and sent 12 volts to the starter. That way, the entire 6 volts was dedicated to the ignition, and the 12 volts was turning the starter. Since the 12 volt battery is only used occasionally, it only needed to be charged once or twice a year.
 
I don't understand the need for a 12V starter circuit, unless your car has other problems that require lots of cranking speed to get it started like flooding, or, a bad starter motor. Better to fix the problem than to merely treat the symptoms.

If I were going to run a dual voltage system, I'd run a 12 volt ignition system before anything else.
 
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