Negative Ground 1950 Chrysler Windsor

[Jim Neville]

Hello. I'am new at this having just bought my first classic. My 1950 Windsor came with negative ground. She started and drove great for a little while then the battery died. I'am having the generator and regulator looked at hoping it's one of those 2 things that killed my battery. The generator has been switched to negative by someone else who owned the car before me. I tried switching over to positive ground but the car would not start. Switched it back to negative and away she went. Would it be wise to have the generator switched back to positive or just leave it that way. 

[Doug&Deb]

Do you have the semi auto trans? I’d be inclined to put everything back to factory specs. That way you can troubleshoot the problem based on the service manual. 

[Jim Neville]

Yes it's semi automatic. The guy thats doing my generator says it does not matter if it's positive or negative ground.  It ran great until the battery died on me. Just purchased the service manual for it so I can get a better handle on how things work. 

[Bryan G]

I think in the long run you'd be better off switching it back to positive. I agree with Doug&Deb, it will help future troubleshooting. Otherwise you might always find yourself wondering if every electrical problem is related to the reversed ground.

 

Was the car charging, per the ammeter, before the failure?

[joecoozie]

If you decide to go back to Positive Ground make sure you switch, or at least check, the wires on the coil. They may have been reversed, too, and maybe why, when you switched to Positive Ground, the car wouldn't start (just a guess)

As Bryan G asked, "Was the car charging, per the ammeter, before the failure?"

If not then there could be problems with the generator/voltage regulator. 

Do you know if the PO polarized the generator/regulator after switching to Negative ground?

[Jim Neville]

Thanks for the replies. Yes, the ammeter was charging. It was slightly on the + side until the battery started to lose its charge. Not sure if the generator/regulator was polarized. The generator was tested and everything is good. Getting the regulator checked as we speak. Would I have to polarize both the generator and the regulator? Also, the wires going from the generator to the regulator look to be original but are very brittle. I'am thinking this might be part of the problem. What gauge of wire would be best to change them out or better yet anyone know where I could purchase them from. I probably will have to change out all of the wiring eventually. I have looked online but I'am not sure what I need.  I'am from Southern Ontario close to Buffalo. Thanks again. This site is awesome. I sure have learned a lot.

[Doug&Deb]

YNZ Wiring and Rhode Island Wiring are the two I’m familiar with. Pricey but good quality. I’m surprised that the trans worked properly with negative ground. It’s hard to understand what previous owners do to these cars.

[Jim Neville]

I agree. The tranny shifts great. If I decide to go back to positive ground would I just have to polarize the generator or is there more to it than that other than the coil wires?