VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Electrical - 6 volt 12 Volt vs 6 Volt?

Over time I have seen many questions and other posts concerning switching from the original 6 volt system to 12 volts. Why?

I have always been a purest as it comes to my old Chevrolets. I haven't come across any situation that I feel that switching to 12 volts would cause me to have an euphoric spasm.

I suppose some may think this conversion to 12 volts makes the engine start better or run better. Nope not that. If the car is in good shape there is no advantage there. Not that I can figure.

So just why would one who is focused on restoration and preservation be willing to make this major departure from the original? Isn't the reason that you're too laid back to just change the starter brushes, clean the grounding points, or get a tune-up?

I just don't see any reason for any old Chevrolet hobbyist to switch to 12 volts. My 41 coupe that I drive ofter starts right away and runs very well (loudly but well). Does too!

Why do we have to fiddle with something that is not broken? Merely change the battery when it is about dead as a door nail and perform some maintenance on the starter and other related items on the engine.

Mercy! Don't get me started.

Charlie

It's the same old story Charlie, if 6 volt was OK, 12 volt must be better.

If a stick shift is good, then an automatic is better.

If a 216 / 235 is good, then a 350 is better.

MY '51 has lived, very well I might add, with a properly maintained 6 volt system .

Charlie, i think the big question is how many of us have to rely on the skills of others to solve electrical problems.12V does not make the problems with 6V systems go away. I see in the USA you can still buy 6V wet batteries and many members do. So what is the difference between a 6V electrical problem and a 12V one?

I dont know about the US battery situation but local to me down here 6v battery just isnt stocked but may well be able to order in, I will cross that bridge when I get there though 6v is my preference.
Tony

There are a lot of aftermarket items available for 6 volt systems too; including battery tenders, electric cooling fans, and 6 to 12volt inverters for accessories. I know some folks can't live without their 12 volt goodies like cell phone chargers, sound systems, etc..

Speaking of that, RediRad sells MP3, FM radio, and bluetooth adapters for 6 volt radios. Check em out.

Can you "down under" folks order batteries by mail? I know NAPA Auto Parts and Autozone sell 6 volt car batteries.

Up here we have tractor supply that sells 6 volt battery's. Maybe at a dealer that sells tractors would be able to help you.

TRACTOR SUPPLY also sells the good, heavy duty 2 / 0 or 1 / 0 gauge battery cables.

I havent actually enquired about 6v batteries as yet but I think my local auto electrician would be able to get them and probably overnight if he hasnt got them hidden at the back of the shelf. To my knowledge wet cell batteries are on the "NOT by mail" list though most courier companies dont complain.
Most of our tractor suppliers are for specific brands (some are multiple brand) and go to the same auto electrician I go to for their batteries.
Tony

Tony,

You might check with some local farmers. There must be some farm/ AG supply stores in Australia that carry commercial vehicle parts. A lot of commercial applications still use 6 volt systems. Can you access and order parts from US auto parts suppliers like Autozone, Advanced Auto Parts, O'Reilly AP ( In California), and NAPA auto parts? I assume you will get stuck paying duty/VAT, etc.. but if these are viable sources it may be worth it.

Good luck.

I am not worrying about getting a battery just yet. I have a lot to do before it becomes a necessity, when I get the wiring in place and need power I will decide.
Tony

To get a 6volt battery from the U.S. to Australia would set you back about the same as what a basic 6-12 volt conversion would cost. And they won't allow wet batteries on air freight.

I am sure they are available locally, only need to go and ask. I am that confident that I have already serviced the generator and starter for 6v.
Tony

From all the posts i have read on this subject, there appears to be a reoccurring problem. Positive battery cable is too small, the old/deteriorated 1/0 and or 00/0, has been replaced with a 12 volt positive battery cable which is too small for our application.

The other problem is poor grounds.

When I rewired my car, I placed ground wires at the following :

Head lights, tail lights, directional lights, instrument panel, heater/defroster fan housing, distributor, gas tank fill tube to gas tank, gas tank to frame, gas gauge, town & country horns. (16awg wire)

All of the above terminate at ground block ( individual post type) under the driver side kick panel. The ground block itself is grounded to the body at that point along with a 10 awg wire that is connected to the negative post of the battery.

A bit overkill ? Possibly, but everthing is grounded.

What you did by running more ground wires sounds good to me.......especially when you grounded the distributor.

Years ago my dad had a 1973 Chevrolet pickup truck. After the engine was rebuilt the truck would run fine and then it would die while driving. After coasting to the side of the road and letting the truck sit for awhile it would start right up and run great until the same issue occurred again. The truck had that issue for several years. We finally determined that the ground between the distributor and the engine block was making and breaking from time to time. I ran a ground wire from the distributor housing to the engine block and the issue never happened again. So, more grounds the better as far as I'm concerned.

I like the extra grounds and have added several to our modern daily drivers. This is step two for a used car after I squeeze in a truck battery to replace wimpy factory batteries. One car had only a single 1/8" ground wire going from the battery to a fender mounting bolt that was painted underneath, no other ground connections to the battery! The car had no issues but I could not ignore a 1/8" ground wire to a painted bolt on a painted fender.
I ran several full sized grounds from the battery terminal to the engine block and main unibody structure.

Most of the modern computerized cars control every thing by switching the earth (common power supply but switched earth) so adding earth connections is often detrimental to operation. Cleaning the existing earths is a good idea and there can be several of them on the engine and body all connected to the control module.
Tony

re:shipping "wet batteries", 6v red top optima batts. are dry and are all position. i love mine ('30 coupe), been 3 winters so far of reliable (knock on wood) service. pax, jim

Just a thought and I might be wrong here, which is often, aren’t “wet” lead acid batteries dry until the acid is added? I believe most are always shipped dry and acid is shipped in a separate sealed container. Of course the “sealed wet” batteries are another issue.

In the early 70's at the truck dealer I worked at we kept "dry" batteries and added acid when sold. It was a real pain and dangerous to boot. We really did not push batteries until we started to get them "wet" from our suppliers . At the last dealership I worked for we purchased them a thousand at a time so no way would that happen if we had to fill them at the dealership.

As Steve said it was very common in the 60's and 70's to have dry charged automotive batteries. I have recently seen dry charged motorcycle /atv batteries but no automotive.

Shelf life on a dry charge, if stored properly, was much longer than a wet battery. I bet if you could still find one that was sealed like the Delco's it would activate and charge ok.

Six volt batteries do not sell very fast so a wet 6 volt sitting around for who knows how long can be a problem. Improper and lengthy storage may add to the false impression that 6 volt is inferior. Check the code dates and watch for a positive post seemingly pushing out of the top of the case.

Dave

You will find that a old -new dry charged battery is no long usable.

Gene, You are probably right. I was thinking back to activating the Delco's that were sealed with wax and you punched them out with the Delco eye to fill. I had very good luck but that was 30 years ago and the aging process has gone on. I do have a few left so I may give it a try someday.

Dave

I have not seen a dry charged battery for 10 or 15 years and the servicable type for the same time.
Tony

In my 52 one ton Chevrolet pickup I made the battery tray a little longer and use a 6 volt battery that is longer and has 975 cca and lasts over ten years . Battery plus sales Duracell brand $ 95
Some years back heavy trucks used 4 6volt batteries to make 12 volts
I drove this truck as a daily driver for almost 20 years and still used to carry my welder

Four 6 volt batteries = 12 volts ?