6-12 volt
 

I am thinking about converting my 6 volt ford to 12, I was told that ford continued on with 6 volt gauges after going to 12 volts. Can anyone give me a part number or description of the reducer they used. Thanks

Re: 6-12 volt
 

Here's a link that should give you some good info and answer a few of your questions.
Yes it was written for '55 T-Bird owners but 99% of it should apply to most any 6 volt Ford.

https://www.ctci.org/battery-for-6v-to-12v-conversion/

Assuming the car has the old/original King-Seeley brand gauges... they function differently than '57+ gauges and should Not need a voltage reducer. They work on current flow and heat generated in a switching circuit, not voltage and variable resistance, so they are effectively self-regulating.
They are also not polarity sensitive.

Yes the '57+ gauge circuits use a regulator for approx 6 volts, but the gauges & sensors are also built with different electrical specs and aren't usually compatible when mixed with original 6 volt parts.

FYI, gauges and sensors in '56 Ford products are one-year-only and were designed for full 12 volts.
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Re: 6-12 volt
 

I converted my 55 T-bird to 12v. There was no need to convert gauges or sending units to 12v, and they seem to be working as well as ever. However, you must use 6v senders with 6v gauges, and 12v senders with 12v gauges. Don't mix the two.

Re: 6-12 volt
 

Thanks guys, appreciate the great info

Re: 6-12 volt
 

a friend converted his 54 and used a 12 volt coil with built in resister.has no problems

Re: 6-12 volt
 

I have 3 gauge reducers, 12V flasher, horn relay, solenoid, and a bunch of 12V bulbs. Willing to trade for your 6V stuff.

Re: 6-12 volt
 

Step # 13 here: https://darksidersrealm.forumotion.c...egative-ground This is what you need: https://www.classicindustries.com/pr...MaApLMEALw_wcB

Re: 6-12 volt
 

This shows how it's wired in you only need one regulator. You do not want to hook up the AMP gauge if you now have an Alternator you'll need a volt meter in it's place.

Re: 6-12 volt
 

The "gauge reducers" (aka Runtz) do not work with 50's Fords King/Seely gauges however they can be used for other light load accessories.

Re: 6-12 volt
 

I converted my dad's 55 T-bird to 12v because he said it was hard to start. He was very pleased with the conversion, saying it had never cranked over so easily before. Unfortunately, he didn't last too long after that. I followed Gil Baumgartner's (CTCI/Gil's Garage) instructions when doing the conversion.

Re: 6-12 volt
 

Thanks to all. Happy motoring

Re: 6-12 volt
 

The most common issue I've seen with problematic 6v starting systems is wrong sized battery and ground cables. You can't use the same gauged cables on a 6v system as you do on a 12v. 6v cables are quite a bit larger in diameter.

Re: 6-12 volt
 

6v probably fine for low-compression flathead. OHV engines have higher compression, needing more cranking power. Ford continued 6v through 55, switching over to 12v in 56 (wonder why?). Okay to use 6v cables/w 12v battery. That other brand went to 12v in 55, pretty much for the same reason Ford did in 56.

Re: 6-12 volt
 

I have heard what Herman say many times. Problem is that the big cables are getting hard to find. I wonder if a trucking garage has big cable that they make up?

Re: 6-12 volt
 

You could fab a cable using wire from a mig welder. These cables are also much more flexible, due to the multiple internal strands.

Re: 6-12 volt
 

Maybe give this a read - https://www.custombatterycables.com/

Re: 6-12 volt
 

Corrosion, a bad connection or the wrong sized Ground cables can affect the electrical system just like a bad connection anywhere else, but they get overlooked for some reason.
Welding cable can be used. When a long length has some damage in a small-ish spot it could make several cars worth of replacements.

The T-bird shops that do restorations have large "0" gauge cables for the 55's and may be able to make up cables in a requested length.

Shoebox Central seems to have cables available also...
https://shoebox-central.com/battery-4
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Re: 6-12 volt
 

I think it's still easier and cheaper to find the right cables than looking for and ordering all the resistors, bulbs and upgrading the generator or buying an alternator and then doing all the work to swap/install the parts.

A 6v starter only sounds slow and weak but will start a stock V8 fine. I had a '51 Cadillac with a 331 V8 that was 6V and started easily. A lot of car makers actually went to 12V because of all the electrical accessories that were becoming popular during to 50's. 12V also did make starting high compression engines a lot better. 6V will still start an engine with 8.5 to 1 compression reliably like in the 55 T-Bird with 292 and automatic.

Re: 6-12 volt
 

Being an owner of a 55 T-bird that I converted from 6v to 12v, if 6v had been fine, I would not have converted to 12v.

Re: 6-12 volt
 

This is what Ford used starting with 1957 - the one below is a later unit, but is the same in utilization - Instrument Voltage Regulator. These should be available at NAPA or some one like Dennis carpenter