6V conversion to 12V
Before I think about changing the 54 Corvette to 12 volts I want to do a trial run on my 51 BelAir. I think I understand most of what needs to be done. I have a 12 volt generator, a 12 volt regulator, and a 12 volt coil. I know about gauges and light bulbs but my real question is if I need a ballast resistor like on my 56. Will a coil with a built in resistor work or do I even need one? Some articles say I need this resistor in the wire going from my coil to the ignition switch while other articles make no mention of this at all.
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Re: 6V conversion to 12V
If you have 12V ignition - conventional distributor/points - you will need a ballast resistor. Don't know about one built into the coil, I have never heard about this. But it doesn't matter if it is an external ballast resistor or resistor built into the wiring. There have been several posts lately dealing with ballast resistor resistance value as it relates to point life.
I converted my 54 to 12V in 1961. Don't forget about heater motor, radio, directional flasher. A 6V starter will work on 12V as it only works for a few seconds. And it does turn fast. It also draws a lot of current.
Other things like fuse size and heater low speed resistor should be taken into account. Fuse size will be 1/2 the current rating on 12V, heater low speed will be twice the resistance.
There are also things like the resetting circuit breaker built into the headlight switch. This will be transparent as the interrupt rating will be twice the required rating on 12V, but the existing 6V wiring will handle this current, so it should be more or less a non issue.
Just for curosity, why are you going to convert to 12V? Are we getting a V8? -Dan- -
Re: 6V conversion to 12V
Dan-Thanks for your help. I now know that a resistor is needed and Patrick's in Arizona sells a coil with one built in so I don't have to use the familiar ceramic one on the firewall. Incidently, Patrick's was extremely helpful-and chatty. My favorite source for parts for my 64 wants the order and no small talk please. That's fine, but Patrick's was something very different and was able to give me an education as well to as sell me things. No V8 for me in the 51. I have a split exhaust manifold and the sound under acceleration is pure bliss. I hope to build up a 261 someday to replace my little 216 six but for now the 12 volt move was the first step. The major reason is to facilitate starting, but thinking about FM radio, electric wipers, etc. just is so much easier with 12 volts. I plan to retain a generator to keep it looking somewhat period correct. This is a black BelAir, nosed and decked with 57 Cadillac hubcaps, just like I should have had in high school instead of my 52 Plymouth.Comment
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Re: 6V conversion to 12V
Sounds good Willard. You will do fine, I'm sure. But those little engines should start good on 6Vs. What used to be hard to start was the old 303CI Oldsmobile engines. We used to put them in old Fords and Mercury's as they were junkyard cheap and had tons more torque and HP than the old and tired Ford flat heads. But they were a bear to crank. So we converted them to 12V. This is in the late 50s.
Some of the later 6V Chevy starters were 4 pole instead of 2 pole and that would help. Also possible (probable) that your old starters are tired. The bushings (among other things) used to wear and the armature would drag on the field coils.
Keep ALL your old stuff. Never know - you or your replacement some day may want to return them to original configuration. -Dan-Comment
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Re: 6V conversion to 12V
I converted a 50 Chevy to 12 volts back in 1956 in order to drop in a 55 V8. I forgot most of what I needed to do, but recall I used a separate Pontiac underseat heater along with another blower just for defrosters (the need for that was due to my placing the engine very close to the firewall to maintain enclosed driveshaft length with a truck tranny). I had a toggle switch on the gas gauge just to take a quick snap shot of my level (don't even know if it was needed, but I did run out of gas anyway in 1958 when I was running a 58 fuelie engine). I did use a ballast resistor as the concept to start on 12v and run on 8v needs to be maintained to save the points no matter how you do it. The wiring in the early 6v cars is actually heavier than is needed so there is no cause to replace it as long as all the light sockets will take a 12v bulb, etc.Comment
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Re: 6V conversion to 12V
Things are much easier now because places like Patricks sell voltage reducers like the Runtz unit which will allow me to run my heater and have a functioning gas gauge. My local NAPA has all of the 12V bulbs that I have needed. What I did learn today was that my 6 volt generator is capable of producing 12-15 volts with only minor tweaking. My rebuilder passed this along. I had always thought that the 6 volt generator meant just that.Comment
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