1950 ford truck 6 volt or 12 volts
 

hi guys i had a question about a 1950 ford truck is that a 6 volt system or 12 volt system and could you use a 9 volt battery instead of a 6 volt battery thank you everybody

It came from the factory 6 volt positive ground, many change to 12 volt for modern radio and light systems, never heard of a 9 volt battery except the ones in smoke dectors. But there is an 8 volt thats the size of a 6 volt, gives more cranking power, but without tweeking the voltage regulator the generator won't charge it propperly.

Had good redults with an 8V battery years ago in an old straight eight Pontiac but really 8V is a band-aid approach if you are having starting problems. It can cause shortened bulb life and you need to have the voltage regulator adjusted as suggested. The best approach is a full on change to 12V. :)

Or make sure that all of your wiring is good and have thick battery cables. Don't buy the cables from the store, they're junk for 6v systems. You can make cables out of 1/0 welding cable. Also, 6v electrical systems love good grounds. Make sure all of your grounds are clean and tight.

x2 on thick battery cables for 6v system. I swapped out what I had with some 2/0 battery cables I got on ebay, and the difference in starting is night and day. Could not believe the difference it made.

I'm lucky in that I have a friend that's a shop foreman for a large equipment rental company. He's the one that made the cables for my 52 and my Airflow. You're right about the difference thicker cables make.

So what happens when we convert to 12 volts? What do we do with the left over generators, regulators, and fabric wiring? Is there anything other than boat anchor status for the generator, and can the other parts be used again? The generators weigh a ton!

Put them on Ebay. Someone will want them...:)

Sadly ebay is too subjective and hard to deal with for some things.

You can have your existing generator rebuilt into a 12v alternator. Your existing wiring will be fine unless it's old and frayed. Regulators should also be ok.

Agreed, but I'd rather deal with them and have a few dollars in my pocket than pile the stuff up behind my garage. :confused:

Speaking of stuff piled up behind the garage, I recently gave away a 49 F-1 front axle, rear end, front springs, and a couple of 16 inch wheels and tires from my old 48 F-3 through a Craigslist ad. The guy I gave it to is building a rat rod and was happy to get it. I gave up trying to sell that stuff locally and it's too bulky to sell on Ebay...:)

Give me a bit and I can give you the name of a shop in SW Colorado that will buy core generators and starters. After shipping I think you get about $20 each.

I have a 43' Ford GTB bomb truck that I would like to change to 12 volts. The starter is the only real problem I think. I think there is a shop near me that can rebuild the starter to 12 volts but is there any way to use a resistor to crank it over to try and get it running? This truck is a back burner project but I am always looking for info.

Joe

Straight 12v won't hurt it. People have been running 6v starters on 12v for years with no issue. You just don't want to be cranking it for a long time without a cooling off period. It does put a little more wear on the bendix and flywheel teeth, but usually there is a reduction in crank time, too.

A mechanic friend of mine told me this too, the problem I am having is trying get this thing checked out with out spinning it over a lot. It's been sitting for 15 years or so. I thought about taking the plugs out and rigging up a belt over the back of the trans. and running it with a 110 volt motor, just to try and check out some of the components. I'm not a purist so I plan to put an alternor on it instead of the generator and put a 12 volt coil too. The rest of the wiring is shot any way. This truck is simple. Thanks, Joe.