Manual/Book for converting 6V to 12V

Wuudie

Wuudie

Senior Member
Who's got a good manual specific to converting 6V POSITIVE Ground to 12V NEGATIVE Ground.
I order the set of "A" Restoration series 1 thru 7 any other manuals to assist?
 
You doing it piecemeal, or will you be ordering everything at once? If you order a "kit" (offered by various vendors) you'll get all the parts plus a set of instructions. Something to think about if you're getting ready to tackle this and haven't started collecting parts yet.
 
I was thinking of ordering the whole kit/cabuddle <SP>
Mike V. Thansk for the Info, that is great Info to help me get started.
 
I'm not 100% on changing, maybe leaning 80% towards converting. Keep in mind I'm new to this, and being new, will have a tendancy to run back to what I'm comfortable with.

First reason, I was thinking was for lights possibly Halogen and turn signals for driving at night. (I'm not sure on the law on this, still have to understand this too) I know they have 6V parts for this, but what is thier brightness

I also understand keeping it original as possible and this is a reason for my hesitation, but what are the other benefits of 6V - help me understand (you never know you could possibly sell me on keeping it 6V)
 
I drive at night just fine using 6 volts and the original bulbs and excellent original reflectors. Good silvered reflectors and good focus are the keys to good lighting.

I can add turn signals with no worries about changing to a higher voltage.

Keeping it 6 volts is so much easier on the starter and drive plus it keeps the car more original. My GPS works fine on 6 volts, but if it didn't then I could buy a 12 volt invertor, which changes 6 volts + ground to 12 volts negative ground. Or, like many others I could use a small 12 volt motorcycle battery.
 
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Wuudie said:
I'm not 100% on changing, maybe leaning 80% towards converting.

I also understand keeping it original as possible and this is a reason for my hesitation, but what are the other benefits of 6V - help me understand (you never know you could possibly sell me on keeping it 6V)
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How about money saved by not converting? There is a company that sells brighter bulb that don't need additional current that an Alt will provide.

http://www.classicandvintagebulbs.com/page2.html
 
Tom Wesenberg said:
I drive at night just fine using 6 volts and the original bulbs and excellent original reflectors. Good silvered reflectors and good focus are the keys to good lighting.

I can add turn signals with no worries about changine to a higher voltage.

QUOTE] Add turn signals? front and back. Are these mounted on bumper? Where can you do this? who offers these parts?


Tom Wesenberg said:
Keeping it 6 volts is so much easier on the starter and drive plus it keeps the car more original. My GPS works fine on 6 volts, but if it didn't then I could buy a 12 volt invertor, which changes 6 volts + ground to 12 volts negative ground. Or, like many others I could use a small 12 volt motorcycle battery.
Click to expand...

Gadgets weren't a big thought
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Wuudie said:
Tom Wesenberg said:
I drive at night just fine using 6 volts and the original bulbs and excellent original reflectors. Good silvered reflectors and good focus are the keys to good lighting.

I can add turn signals with no worries about changine to a higher voltage.

QUOTE] Add turn signals? front and back. Are these mounted on bumper? Where can you do this? who offers these parts?




Gadgets weren't a big thought
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Most people seem to use the bumper mounted turn signals. Check the Model A parts suppliers for the turn signals you like. I don't have turn signals, but if I added them I'd use some that are seperate from the originals lights and also use some that require NO drilling of holes.
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One of the first things you need to be sure of are the connections at all the wires. Dirty connections and broken strands in the wire will limit the ablity of the wire to do it's job. At 6v the poor connections will be more of a problem.

The halogen bulbs from CVB which are Aussy built will give you a bright white light with poor reflectors and a generator. My brother has like 8 years with his and he finds there is enough light to run 55 on back roads at night. His battery life is not so good as his current optima battery is getting weak at about 8 years old. He is lazy and keeps the charge rate up so he will run his lights in the day too to keep the charge level correct. The gen was rebuilt in 1970 when he was 15, by him. Other than oil and brush adj it has been charging fine.
 
While I respect everyone's idea about what is correct and what you should do.. I'm also leaning toward a 12volt neg ground...

A few of those reasons are::mad:

getting rid of the Generator and moving to a Alternators (no setting it, charging to little/too much)
light bulbs, battery and electronics all MUCH easier.
NEG Ground--- I even changed over my coupe that is still 6 volts to neg ground.

I looked over the idea for a while and it's a much easier process for me as I'm rebuilding a truck and need all new stuff anyway. :eek:

After all the reading/studying I would recommend the kit. For one you get everything you need and at once!!
The gentleman who said (it's hard on the starter) is partial correct, If you don't change out the Starter Field Coil, the starter will still work but with twice as much force as should be. Just as using the horn at twice the voltage or putting a Alternator on your old gauge..

Anyway to each his own, I guess. Which ever way you decide there will be people out there who will tell you that you should have done it another way.:confused:

Good Luck, D
 
Big D said:
While I respect everyone's idea about what is correct and what you should do.. I'm also leaning toward a 12volt neg ground...

A few of those reasons are::mad:

getting rid of the Generator and moving to a Alternators (no setting it, charging to little/too much)
light bulbs, battery and electronics all MUCH easier.
NEG Ground--- I even changed over my coupe that is still 6 volts to neg ground.

I looked over the idea for a while and it's a much easier process for me as I'm rebuilding a truck and need all new stuff anyway. :eek:

After all the reading/studying I would recommend the kit. For one you get everything you need and at once!!
The gentleman who said (it's hard on the starter) is partial correct, If you don't change out the Starter Field Coil, the starter will still work but with twice as much force as should be. Just as using the horn at twice the voltage or putting a Alternator on your old gauge..

Anyway to each his own, I guess. Which ever way you decide there will be people out there who will tell you that you should have done it another way.:confused:

Good Luck, D
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EVR3BPH-1.jpg


No need to adjust the generator ever again. Just install an electronic voltage regulator. The one I make fits inside the generator so everything looks totally stock even if you go to high point judging. There's a lot less to go wrong with a generator than with an alternator. The generator changes it's generated AC voltage to DC by using a commutator. The alternator uses 6 diodes plus 3 more in the diode trio. That's 9 extra diodes to burn out.

After rebuilding the generator and installing an EVR the electrical system is one thing I never even think about. I may have checked the battery water a couple times in the 6 years I've been using the junkyard battery, and I've never added water to it.
 
Hi Wuudie, All good advice above with an obvious choice about whether to keep it simple and stay with the 6, or get a little more complicated with the 12 volt system. I'm going to throw something at you which will further complicate you decision: if you decide to go to 12 volts, you should seroiusly consider adding two features that I don't think you'll find in any of the literature. One is a relay for the high and low beams of your headlights as some of the fellows in the hobby have found that the voltage is to much for the old column switch and can cause shorting and/or welding. You can still use the switch to control the relays. The second is a two wire excitation system for the alternator to keep it from coming online with a bang at 1400 rpm. This is only important if you are using electronic equipment plugged into your electrical system on the model A (pertronix ingition jumps immediately to mind).
Also, consider fusing your car with a 4-block or 6-block set of fuses. A 12 volt short is alot more ferocious than a 6 volt short. Lots to think about!!! Good luck.
 
As I understand it, 12 volts going thru the headlight switch is half the current of 6 volts, given the same CP globes.

It is not voltage that may damage the contacts, it is current.
 
Chris in CT said:
Hi Wuudie, All good advice above with an obvious choice about whether to keep it simple and stay with the 6, or get a little more complicated with the 12 volt system. I'm going to throw something at you which will further complicate you decision: if you decide to go to 12 volts, you should seroiusly consider adding two features that I don't think you'll find in any of the literature. One is a relay for the high and low beams of your headlights as some of the fellows in the hobby have found that the voltage is to much for the old column switch and can cause shorting and/or welding. You can still use the switch to control the relays. The second is a two wire excitation system for the alternator to keep it from coming online with a bang at 1400 rpm. This is only important if you are using electronic equipment plugged into your electrical system on the model A (pertronix ingition jumps immediately to mind).
Also, consider fusing your car with a 4-block or 6-block set of fuses. A 12 volt short is alot more ferocious than a 6 volt short. Lots to think about!!! Good luck.
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Don't understand what you mean by "two wire excitation system for the alternator to keep it from coming online with a bang at 1400 rpm" Can you please explain?
 
Most retorfit alternators are one-wire, just like the output from the old generator. They will not self-excite until they are turning at about 1400 rpm. Two or three wire systems use a small amount of current from the battery to excite the electromagnetic field of the alternator. This excitation will begin as soon as the ignition switch is turned on, and the current will begin flowing with the engine turnover. Therfore, no shock or impulse is delivered all at once to the electrical system. While Pooch, above, is quite right about voltage and amperage, there is less resistance loss at 12 volts than there is at 6 and therefore more tendency to arc at switches, and less tolerance for "micro-shorts" that sometimes occur with rotary switches as they pass over one set of contacts to reach another set. Oh, that reminds me, you will want a reachable battery disconnect if you go to 12 because the starter switch sometimes will weld itself to the starter contact in 12 volt conversions. This is getting complicated, isn't it? Good Luck.
 
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