I'll keep an eye on the battery state  thanks Fred

You may find out that the 8.5 will not keep your battery fully charged. Normal 6 volt systems usually require around 7 or so volts  and 12 volt systems around 13.5- 14.2 volts to keep the battery fully charged.





54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ

Just an update .. decided to abandon my idea of controlling all the voltage at the input .. Just adjusted the regulator down to 8.5 from 9.5 , seems easier on bulbs with no issues  Thanks for all your opinions and coments . I'll let you know if anything arises   Fred

It's very common to convert 6v to 12v; Ford did it in 56. Why? Cars were being equipped with more power accessories, and higher-compression engines required more cranking power. Whether you have 6v, 8v, or 12v, all of the components should be in good condition. 

I agree with Paul.  I have four '54's and they are all 6 volt.  One has all new wiring harnesses and power windows and seat and the windows roll up and down on 6 volts faster than my modern cars.  They all crank and start quickly because the wiring is good. If you are keeping your car original then fix your problem.

went over connections and put some new (large) cables on and it was better but I wanted better still

I set the regulator at 9.5 volts... my concern is that I blew the lt rear turn  bulb , first time out

As others mentioned, your putting a band aid on whatever problem you have (and you acknowledged it).  Fix what's wrong - connections, wire sizes,  etc.


54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ

It’s a band-aid at best but I’m sure you’re aware of that. I worked for a Sears Auto center in the 60’s and it was common to install 8 volt batteries in bigger GM cars. I’ve run 12 volt tail/stop bulbs on 6 Volt Harley Davidsons. For interior lights you can turn your dimmer rheostat down just a little but it will cause a little extra heat. Good luck.

56 Vic, B'Ville 200 MPH Club Member, So Cal.

The heater motor will probably be ok, and I don’t think the King Seely gauges are real voltage sensitive. But I don’t know that. The bulbs will have a shorter life, but having never tried that 8 volt solution I don’t really know. You might go check the voltage at the headlights, fast idle to get a charge and lights on. The old wiring might just have enough voltage drop from age and connections that they’re still ok. Likewise the tail/brake lights.

What did you set the charging voltage to? I’ve mainly seen 8 volt batteries used on old tractors, and there’s not a lot of electrical on an old tractor.

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ