New (to me) 1949 plymouth2 door.

[furby714]

I recently bought this 1949 plymouth special deluxe been sitting since 98 car runs n drives now but its still a 6 volt car and kinda looking into putting a alternator in it and making it 12 volt. How hard is this proccess since ive nnever done it bfore i have a friend that has gifted me a alternator bracket but its for a 51 chevy will this work or do i need to buy a specific one to fit my car and also what would be a good alternator to use on my car any direction and help greatly apreciated here are some pictures of my car 

 

 

[dpollo]

Personally,  I prefer to keep all my cars 6 volts .  If all the components are in good shape, it will work just fine.

Should you decide to change, you must limit the voltage in the gas gauge circuit and change the heater motor.  Your car likely has vacuum wipers so that is not a problem.   Since most alternators are set up for negative ground, you will have to reverse the connections on the ammeter so it reads correctly.   All your switches will work fine as will the wiring in general.  The radio will need a resistor but will work on negative ground.

[wayfarer]

Agree, no reason to change to 12v just for the exercise and the shiverlay bracket is pretty much a paper weight. There is nothing similar between the two engines..... well, ok, spark plugs.....

[furby714]

Thanks both of you yea i think am just going to leave as is for now car runs great so why mess with it huh ?

[Worden18]

41 minutes ago, furby714 said:

Thanks both of you yea i think am just going to leave as is for now car runs great so why mess with it huh ?

I agree with the others as well.  If your generator is working fine you should have no problems.  People often get worried that the 6v system won't turn the engine over fast enough to start it.  Nonsense.  They were made to start with a 6v battery.  The engine in my Meadowbrook started just fine BEFORE my engine rebuild even though I had broken rings and no compression.  It'll be just fine...

[Plymouthy Adams]

11 hours ago, furby714 said:

I recently bought this 1949 plymouth special deluxe been sitting since 98 car runs n drives now but its still a 6 volt car and kinda looking into putting a alternator in it and making it 12 volt. How hard is this proccess since ive nnever done it bfore i have a friend that has gifted me a alternator bracket but its for a 51 chevy will this work or do i need to buy a specific one to fit my car and also what would be a good alternator to use on my car any direction and help greatly apreciated here are some pictures of my car 

 

 

some folks just can't stand properity....... 

many folks start out to fix something that is not broken and end up with a broken fix....

Edited June 2, 2017 by Plymouthy Adams

[ptwothree]

I'd be more concerned with the condition of the wiring itself.  No cents in putting a dime into a car that has old deteriorated wires.  

Stick a camera up under the dash and take a bunch of pics.  Also under the hood.

Anything looking iffy and you should think about a re-wire.  Weather you go with stock type cloth insulation or modern day stuff just remember, it's not getting any younger.

[wayfarer]

Good point on the over-all condition of the wire. Many cars have been rewired simply due to the old insulation.

[Plymouthy Adams]

cloth covered wires continued to some degree into the 70's that I am aware of...the basic wire under the deteriorating cloth however is of a higher grade insualtion that does not seem to crack and split.  while this is a good thing, it still makes chasing wires by color on faded or missing fabric a chore....unless you going for a points restoration I can not in any manner see cloth covered wires as a plus.  If you were for some accident spilled oil or paint on a cloth wire odds are it is forever ruined for eye recognition..a modern wire isnsualtion is super resistant to this damage and easily wiped clean.  guess what I am saying here is based on price...is it truly worth that added cost for a non judged car.   just an opinion....

[desoto1939]

Plymouth Adams. The new cloth covered wire with the appropriate strikers is modern plastic coated wire with the appropriate cloth pulled over the outer plastic covering. I also agree that if you are not going for a points car then just rewire with the modern wire that you can get at any auto parts store. But I would at least use 14 gage wire as the bare minimum for the wiring system and then up to 10-12 gauge for other areas.

You can also get 6v Positive grounded alternators with the appropriate mounting brackets to fit your car. Do a search on ebay for 6v positive ground alternators.

Rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com

 

[Mortimer452]

Agree with most others, why change it unless you need to?

My car is original 6V positive ground system, everything works great.  Conversion to 12V requires new battery, alternator, new bulbs everywhere and a few other odds and ends others have mentioned.  FYI, if you have (or add) a cigarette lighter on 6V system, most devices powered by a standard cigarette plug will still work fine, you just need the adapter wired in reverse for a negative ground.  Might not work for a 12V air compressor, but USB-powered devices like cell phones, GPS, etc. will work fine on a 6V system.

I *may* convert mine to 12V sometime in the future, but it will only be because I have to for some accessory I need or want (like AC), not "just because"

Edited June 5, 2017 by Mortimer452

[dale]

An alternator will bypass a ton of things that can go wrong with the charging system.. I think alot of the dislike of 6 volt systems is that the battery is half dead alot at least in Northern climates.  One wire from the battery to the altinator and thats it.  IMO

[desoto1939]

1 hour ago, dale said:

An alternator will bypass a ton of things that can go wrong with the charging system.. I think alot of the dislike of 6 volt systems is that the battery is half dead alot at least in Northern climates.  One wire from the battery to the altinator and thats it.  IMO

Dale:  I have attended the AACA annual meeting here in Philadelphia for several years. One of the presenters is from Penn State university and is an electrical engineering profressor. The best way to stop the draining or the discharge of the battery is to keep it fully charged. The topic was on how to do this and he has stated that by keeping a trickle charge on the battery save the plates from deterriating and the  build up of the scale on the bottom of the battery case. When you stop this lose of the material from the pates this will give you a longer battery life.

 

Rich Hartung

desoto1939@aol.com

[Mortimer452]

48 minutes ago, desoto1939 said:

Dale:  I have attended the AACA annual meeting here in Philadelphia for several years. One of the presenters is from Penn State university and is an electrical engineering profressor. The best way to stop the draining or the discharge of the battery is to keep it fully charged. The topic was on how to do this and he has stated that by keeping a trickle charge on the battery save the plates from deterriating and the  build up of the scale on the bottom of the battery case. When you stop this lose of the material from the pates this will give you a longer battery life.

 

Rich Hartung

desoto1939@aol.com

Keeping the battery charged is definitely key to long life.  If your car sits for long periods (weeks) without being driven, definitely invest in a trickle charger.  One that desulfates as it charges like the BatteryMinder is best.

Sulfation is something that eventually occurs to almost all batteries, but happens very quickly on dead or severely undercharged batteries.  Basically, a sulfate coating forms on the exterior of the lead plates, which prevents direct contact with the electrolyte solution (battery acid).  The coating starts out somewhat dust-like and can be "shaken off" by a desulfating charger.  Eventually, the coating turns hard like calcium and once that happens, the sulfation is permanent and the battery cannot be revived without removing the plates and mechanically cleaning them.

This is the reason why a battery that has been sitting dead for a month or so will never quite hold a charge again - the coating is so thick and hard, the plates aren't in contact with the acid hardly at all.

[rcb]

I convert all my old tractors to 12v negative ground but that's to facilitate jumping and also having batteries at hand. I've used the 6v generators with a 12v regulator to good effect, but the only thing electrical are the lights... but I use my tractors often. If it's only a weekend cruiser I see no "need" for 12v. 6v generators can have 12v fields put in them as well. Nothing wrong with an alternator, but I've had good luck with the generators as well. The new digital regulators can get a generator sort of on equal ground with an alternator. There are also the alternators that look like generators, but they are spendy.

[Young Ed]

1 hour ago, Mortimer452 said:

Keeping the battery charged is definitely key to long life.  If your car sits for long periods (weeks) without being driven, definitely invest in a trickle charger.  One that desulfates as it charges like the BatteryMinder is best.

Sulfation is something that eventually occurs to almost all batteries, but happens very quickly on dead or severely undercharged batteries.  Basically, a sulfate coating forms on the exterior of the lead plates, which prevents direct contact with the electrolyte solution (battery acid).  The coating starts out somewhat dust-like and can be "shaken off" by a desulfating charger.  Eventually, the coating turns hard like calcium and once that happens, the sulfation is permanent and the battery cannot be revived without removing the plates and mechanically cleaning them.

This is the reason why a battery that has been sitting dead for a month or so will never quite hold a charge again - the coating is so thick and hard, the plates aren't in contact with the acid hardly at all.

I must just bu lucky. My truck wouldn't start this spring. Further inspection revealed a 9 year old battery. Never seen a maintenance charger. Truck sits through MN winter with the battery unhooked but sitting installed. 

[Mortimer452]

7 hours ago, Young Ed said:

I must just bu lucky. My truck wouldn't start this spring. Further inspection revealed a 9 year old battery. Never seen a maintenance charger. Truck sits through MN winter with the battery unhooked but sitting installed. 

Unhooking the battery when not in use is definitely a good idea.  I use cheap disconnects like the one below on my mowers and tractor, installed right next to the ignition switch, I just flick the lever to disconnect after every use.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007O0BBFM/ref=s9_acsd_top_hd_bw_b13xTl_c_x_2_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=K7805WBTSFFCB5NSSM0R&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=507558e5-87e0-5d56-9d82-9503df7c5617&pf_rd_i=15719961

 

[Young Ed]

4 hours ago, Mortimer452 said:

Unhooking the battery when not in use is definitely a good idea.  I use cheap disconnects like the one below on my mowers and tractor, installed right next to the ignition switch, I just flick the lever to disconnect after every use.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007O0BBFM/ref=s9_acsd_top_hd_bw_b13xTl_c_x_2_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=K7805WBTSFFCB5NSSM0R&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=507558e5-87e0-5d56-9d82-9503df7c5617&pf_rd_i=15719961

 

I only unhook mine for winter storage but unfortunately the place I store doesn't allow removal of the battery.