My voltage regulator on my 55 Ford malfunctioned and drained my 6-volt battery. I replaced the voltage regulator and charged the battery. When I started up the 272, the voltage coming in from the generator was barely 7.0 volts. This number had always been in the neighborhood of 8.1v. I tried polarizing the generator, but nothing changed. I theorized that the bad regulator had let the battery discharge through the generator all night and burned the brushes. I took it to the local auto electric repair in Sacramento. Sammi called me the next day and said that when he opened up the generator, it looked like it was 12 volt. I've had that generator for twenty years and it has always put out a little over 8 volts. My question is: Does the inside of a 6v Ford generator look different than a 12v? Or, is my guy confused because Chxxy generators look different? Jag

 

My memory is that the armatures are identical and the field coils are different. So no, they are not technically visually different. An armature from a 12 volt generator or an armature from a 6 volt generator will do an identical job.

That said, Ford changed the rear bushing to a rear bearing somewhere around the time they switch to 12 volt. I think the bushing to bearing change happened a year or two before 56, but I'm not 100% sure. So yes, the later generators do look different from the earlier. However, this does not distinguish a 6V from a 12V generator.

 

And just to confirm that, I have a 6 volt generator on my 51 from what I assume is a later year truck. It has the rear bearing instead of a bushing.

 

Thanks guys, I had no idea that Ford would have used a bushing instead of a bearing. Seams like guaranteed replacement. I got the gen reinstalled and it's putting out 8.0v Jag