General questions on 1953 B-4H-152 / 1 1/2T

[hhoskison]

1. Is best to leave truck 6V or convert to 12V?

2. I do not understand the weight on the ID tag of 16000 lbs. see attached

[HanksB3B]

Deserves a good answer. I'm no expert, but some other guys here on the forum are.

Our trucks are set up as 6 volt positive ground. If you want to switch polarity so you can add a 12 volt neg. ground radio you will also have to reverse the polatity of the AMP gauge and provide a resistor

1. If you are doing a historical restoration either go with the original 6 volt generator or better yet a 6 volt alternator built into your original housing will provide a charge at idle (generator does not charge at idle). You will also need a regulator in good working order and the knowledge of how to both polorize and adjust it to something like 7.2 volts so that the battery is actually charging. This is something I'm currently attempting to learn to do.

2. If you truck is going to serve as an everyday work truck and that original factory look is not a concern, then I'd go with a 12volt alternator which has a built in regulator. Most guys think from a historical perspective that alternators (except in the original housing) look out of place in a flathead's engine compartment.

I'm sure there's more to be added.

Hank

[Dodgeb4ya]

I'd leave it 6 volt. Make sure the battery cables are heavy guage and in good condition. Do NOT use thinner 12 volt replacement battery cables!

The 16,000 lb rating is the maximum weight of the fully loaded truck. It is for 1953 a dodge 2 ton truck.

Bob

Edited June 22, 2010 by Dodgeb4ya

[Merle Coggins]

Yea... like Bob said...

6 volt systems work well as long as you maintain good cables that are large enough to carry the necessary current. If you switch it over to 12v you'll have to change all of your lights, wiper and heater motors if equipped, generator/regulator or alternator and reduce the voltage for your fuel gauge. You'll also have to reverse the wires on your ammeter since you'll be switching the polarity.

Unless you need 12 volts for some modern accessory that you wish to add, I'd keep it 6 volt. You can get voltage convertors to convert your 6v pos ground to 12v neg ground. They aren't high amperate (1-6 amp) but will work well to power a GPS, cell phone, or modern radio/CD player.

The weight spec is what would now be considered your GVRW

Welcome aboard,

Merle

[wallytoo]

If you switch it over to 12v you'll have to change all of your lights, wiper and heater motors if equipped,

not neccessarily. i was able to find some in-line voltage reducers that seem to work for the heater and wipers. i mounted them under the steering column, just inside the dash (the reducers get warm). the lights you'll have to change.

[wallytoo]

I'd leave it 6 volt. Make sure the battery cables are heavy guage and in good condition. Do NOT use thinner 12 volt replacement battery cables!

The 16,000 lb rating is the maximum weight of the fully loaded truck. It is for 1953 a dodge 2 ton truck.

Bob

interesting that only the "4-H" is a 2-ton, while the others are 1.5-ton.

[Bradley S.]

As long as your wiring and components are good, 6 volts works fine. I went through all of the electrical components and replaced the wiring harness on my truck and the engine cracks fast and always starts.

Keep it stock. Those automotive engineers in Detroit knew what they were doing back then.

[DollyDodge]

I remember when I was a High School in about 1973 and driving my old B-2-C. We had an unusually cold snap one winter. It got down to minus 12 F, which is really cold for here. Neither of my parent's cars would start. They had a galixie 500 ford and a VW bug. I went out to old Dolly Dodge and every one said there was no way she would go. I turned on the key, pulled full choke, and full throttle, stepped on the starter and she barely cranked over, but she fired as soon as the engined turn a couple of times. I learned long ago that the old 6 v systems will almost always start as long as there is enough juice to turn the engine over. Besides I think it is fun to keep them 6 v.

[OLD DODGE]

2. I do not understand the weight on the ID tag of 16000 lbs. see attached

The Gross Vehicle Weight is the combined weight of the truck and the load it is carrying. Dodge trucks come in a range of GVWs even within the same model of truck. Your tag says....

"MAXIMUM GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT EXCEPT AS CONTROLLED BY TIRES - SPRINGS AND AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT 16,000 LBS"

What this means is that IF your truck came with all the heavy duty equipment available that this number is your maximum. This DOES NOT mean "your" truck has this GVW rating. If you look at the attached chart you will see that the B-4-H two ton truck GVW spans from 14,000 to 16,000 lbs. Its a difference of 2000 lbs and if you overloaded a 14k GVW truck you might get away with it.

If you look at the model "J" trucks you will see there is a huge span from 10,500 lbs to 17,000 lbs. That could be dangerous if overloaded.

Your GVW is determined by springs, tires, wheels, frame re-inforcements, axles, etc. To determine what equipment was on your truck when it left the factory you could pull the codes off of a build card. This does not necessarily mean that the same equipment is still on there. Many trucks were upgraded after the fact.

The GCW numbers on the chart are for trucks used as road tractors pulling trailers.