Hi guys , I know I'll get blasted for going to an 8 volt battery, but hey it starts like a brand new car.. I was worried about the  6 volt radio ( bone stock 55 country sedan ) so I wired in a 15 amp capacity buck converter  and adjusted the output down to 6.2 volts to the radio , seems to work as expected.  But the i got thinking (dangerous ) why cant I wire it into the yellow wire at the solenoid since it seems to be the main if not only  power feed off the battery , effectively controlling the feed to everything to 6.2 volts ?  I'd be interested in your thoughts... Thanks Fred 

If everything is working as it should be, and you're happy, why change it?

It is working great but first day out it blew a bulb and I can only expect more

I hadn't thought of that, but I did swap out all of my bulbs to 12v when converting to 12v. It's not a fun job on a 55 Tbird/w dash in place, even with the seat and steering column removed (I'm claustrophobic). 

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

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.

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

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

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

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.