Intro! And a few ?'s on the 6 to 12 volt conversion.

[53dodgekustom]

Hi guys. I heard of this site through the HAMB over two years a go but I have always just stuck to lurking.

I have a 53 Dodge Meadowbrook special 4-door with the 230 flathead and 3spd trans. I just got an overdrive for it from a 52 Plymouth (Kustom 52 on here I think?) about a month ago, haven't got it in yet though.

Anyhow I have been converting my car to 12 volt at the same time. So far I have got a new battery(going to hook it up so it's now negative ground), changed all the light bulbs, wired in a ballast resistor (just took the wire that went to the negative side of the coil and put into one side of the ballast resistor and took a wire from the other side of it back to the negative side of the coil.). Did I do that right?

Then I got a 12 volt generator from a 57 Plymouth and put it on there and wired it the same way the 6 volt one was.

I also bought a voltage reducer for the gas gage. Do I just wire it inline with the wire going into the gage? The directions have all kinds of different ways for different amps and stuff, shows them using 4 of them for one thing ect. Just confused me.

Also, do I need anything for the amp gage? I'm not concerned with the wiper motor yet it don't work anyhow. How about the starter solenoid, should I get a 12 volt one? And I heard that the od solenoid would be fine with 12 volts, is this true? The other guy was putting 12 to it in his car.

Did I miss anything?

Sorry about the long windedness just don't want to smoke anything.

Thanks

Tom.

[martybose]

(snip)

Also, do I need anything for the amp gage? I'm not concerned with the wiper motor yet it don't work anyhow. How about the starter solenoid, should I get a 12 volt one? And I heard that the od solenoid would be fine with 12 volts, is this true? The other guy was putting 12 to it in his car.

Assuming you are setting up 12V negative ground, just switch the wires on the amp gauge and it will be fine. Get a 12V starter solenoid. As far as the OD, if you're talking about the solenoid bolted to the tranny, I'm told it should be fine. If you're talking about the control circuit, there are 12V alternatives available.

Marty

[53dodgekustom]

I'm just going to be running a switch that is hot wired to the solenoid. Not worried about the other stuff. Do I have to switch the coil wires around as well? Right now the + side of the coil is going to ground.

[martybose]

You probably want to get a 12V coil and switch the wiring. You also want to be sure about whether you need to add a ballast resister (wired with a bypass from the starter solenoid) or not (if you have an internal resistance coil).

Marty

[53dodgekustom]

I also forgot to mention that I got the voltage regulator from the 57 as well.

If I get a new coil I'll probably just get one for a 57 Plymouth which I'm pretty sure would of used a ballast resistor like I have on there already. It's the 2 prong one.

[greg g]

Carefull, the coil I have from a 56 plymouth is marked as being internally resisted, so putting a resistor on it would be detrimental to its output. If you are going Neg ground, swap the leads on the coil. Neg should go to the points as then it goes to ground. It will work either way but it will work better if the posts are correct polarity.

Also, I believe all coils are basically the same as far as voltage is concerned. If there was a 12v specific coil why would it need to be resisted externally? Most coils will work best in the 6 to 8 volt range, which is what the baslat resistor does, drops 12v down to about 8.

If you get a 12v solenoid, get one for a Ford. it has the secondary post that supplies 12v to the coil, bypassing the Ballast resistor, while the starter is cranking.

OH yea!!! Welcome aboard.

[53dodgekustom]

ok, yeah that makes sense. Do I really even need to go to a different coil? I mean I guess I could just get a coil that goes with a ballast resistor (from a 60's or 70's Mopar) and get the ford starter solenoid. Switch the leads on the coil so the negative goes to ground and be done with it.

[greg g]

Don't believe you will need a different coil if you use the external resistor. Worst thing that can happen is it will get hot and loos performance. Hook it up drive i a while and check how hot it gets. You chould be able to keep your hand on it, if its to hot then you can get a new coil. Or get a new one and keep it in the trunk as a hust in case.

Wire the second small post of the solenoid to the positve post of the coil along with the one from the ignition. JUST REMEMBER THE COIL WILL BE HOT whenever the starter is engaged. So be careful if your using a mechanics freind bumping the starter to fint TDC or something.

[Normspeed]

Tom, that's great that you had the 57 generator and regulator. 12 volt alternators perform better than generators but the generator/regulator has a neat look to it.

[53dodgekustom]

Yep trying to keep a totally traditional look. Bias tires ect. I'll have to post up some pics sometime I guess, I know you guys mostly like them stock but mine is nothing radical yet, at least.

[Guest rockabillybassman]

You're not quite right about us liking 'em stock...... I would say we're about 50/50 stock and modified. We even have several chopped cars here now!

[Normspeed]

Here's mine.

[53dodgekustom]

Well, I looks like I forgot to tell a little bit about my self.

I really like traditional hot rods and customs

I'm 20 years old and have been living and bleeding Mopars all my life. My dad got a 40 Dodge 2dr sedan for a $100 when I was 5 years old and started building a street rod out of it. Bright yellow, bagged, billet wheels, 360 LA, 904, 8 and 3/4 ect.

I had a 87 Dakota with a 2.2 4cyl that I lowered and stuff and I had a 67 Plymouth Belvedere 2dr post car. Slant six 3 on the tree. Neat car but there wasn't anything holding the upper a arms on! Sold it and got my 53.

I also like riding motorcycles on the street and the dirt. I'm a big European motorcycle fan. I currently have a 71 BMW R60/5.

Going to graduate from Ranken tech with an associate degree in Precision Machining Technology next week.

I really just like anything with an engine, often times the older and more left field it is the more I like it!

[53dodgekustom]

You're not quite right about us liking 'em stock...... I would say we're about 50/50 stock and modified. We even have several chopped cars here now!

ha, ha yeah I noticed that lately.

[53dodgekustom]

My 53 a after I lowered it.

It had some rust in the floors.

Did a little rebuild last winter.

The paint looked good in pics but it was hiding some things and it looked like someone put it on with a brush.

The 6r.

Me and my friend Nick on the way back from the HAMB drags, my car is vapor locked in this pic.

Current, new 53 Ford rims black with blue flake. Firestone 6.70X15 bias WW. I still need to paint my hood lol.

It will be nice someday, shiny blue paint again, chopped just a little, 2 door conversion.

Yes I'm bored. lol.

[53dodgekustom]

Normspeed love those wagons. Nice dual carbs what intake do you have?

[Normspeed]

The shaved doors look like they came out real good.

Offy intake and the old Carter B&B carbs.

[53dodgekustom]

Ok, I got a Ford starter solenoid it has the 2 big terminals like a regular one (which I hooked up the same way as the 6v pos. ground one was, it had no markings) and then it has two small ones. One is marked "s" the other is marked "l". Which one goes to the existing small wire and what do I do with the other terminal? I can't wait to get a wiring diagram next week, this sucks!

[Niel Hoback]

I'm believe that the "I" terminal is used to send 12 volts to the ignition coil and jumps out the resistor. That makes a hotter spark when the starter is cranking.

[greg g]

I comes from the ignition to engrze the solenoid. just like the stock one. The s pole goes to the coil and bypasses the resistor it is hot while the

s tarter is engaged.

[coW52Dodge]

I don't have my B 1/2 ton truck in my garage yet but conversion to 12V negative ground is something I want to do once it is here.

Forgive my noobiness but right now I'm just gathering information to get a shopping list going:

Wouldn't the starter need to change as well? Besides it being rated for 6V, since it was wired to a positive ground, wouldn't it turn the wrong way when one switches to a negative ground?

Is it as simple as just changing to a proper alternator, changing the battery to a 12V variety, along with its polarity and changing all the bulbs?

[martybose]

I don't have my B 1/2 ton truck in my garage yet but conversion to 12V negative ground is something I want to do once it is here.

Forgive my noobiness but right now I'm just gathering information to get a shopping list going:

Wouldn't the starter need to change as well? Besides it being rated for 6V, since it was wired to a positive ground, wouldn't it turn the wrong way when one switches to a negative ground?

Is it as simple as just changing to a proper alternator, changing the battery to a 12V variety, along with its polarity and changing all the bulbs?

Polarity is not an issue with the starters, as they aren't permanent magnet motors, they use coils. So you are reversing the polarity of both the coils and the stator, so it turns the same direction.

The only addition I'd make to your list is to switch the wires on the amp gauge.

Marty

[greg g]

6 volt starters are quite a bit more robust than 12V units and should work just fine for a good long time on 12 V. Since the starter is not a motor till the field windings are engergized, they don't care which way ground is. You will need to put in a resistor between teh ign and coil. change the poses on the amp gauge. And remember to run your heater only on the low speeds.

If you are running a single wire style alternator, just the wire the output through to the bat wire on the voltage regulator once it is removed fromthe regulator which you no loiger need.

Do a search of the forum for 12V I am sure thee is a lot of info that will come up.

Uless you plan to add 12V accessories, why do you want to change to 12 V.

6V systems in good repair are more than adequate. Just makes sure the cables are properly sized and the grounds are in good shape and you should have no problems running 6 V.

[old woolie]

I remember Dad running a 58 Plymouth in the early 60's. He kept a 6V starter and put it on every winter for faster cranking and better starting.

[GeorgeLeonard]

Now that is interesting. I never heard of doing something like that although it makes perfect sense. Guess Im never too old to learn something new.