Adding 12V battery to start 6V+ system

[ole_Bill]

Recently someone posted a schematic on how to add a 12V battery in the starting circuit of a 6V+ system. The 12V battery powered only the starter, used a seperate starter button and was not connected to the cars charging system. Could you please post the information again? I printed the original but have misplaced it. Thanks

[FlatheadTed]

On the 12 volt one wire to earth the other to the starter, in between you put the solenoid, the little wire from the solenoid goes to the button .So on the starter you will have the 6v wire on top of the 12 v .

[B-O-B]

12 Volt Boost for 6 Volt System


www.btc-bci.com/~billben/12vboost.htm - Cached Similar
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The 12V battery doesn't charge from the car's 6V generating system, but is a total ... What we're going to do is to add a second battery that will be 12 volt and will ...

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[G.M.]

Install 2/0 cables with good ends and clean connections and you will think you have 12 volts. G.M.

[oldford2]

As GM says, clean all connections, make sure you have 6 volt cables and fix the ignition/fuel system and you won't need a 12 volt "patch". John

[31chevy]

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Ditto with G.M. & oldford2.

[KiWinUS]

Same as GM but get an OPTIMA 6 volt battery !!! Spins like a 12volt

[FL&WVMIKE]

ole Bill .............................
You don't need a 12v battery system if everything else is up to snuff. Like others said, I bet you have 12v cables or a bad ground. 6v cables are much larger.
Like another said, buy a 6v OPTIMA battery, instead of buying a 12v.
MIKE

[Mike51Merc]

All respect to Optima, but 6 volts is 6 volts. I have a NAPA industrial 6V for about 4 yrs now. It was cheap, it spins fine and it even looks period correct.

A properly tuned engine with a working 6V system doesn't need any help. Adding a 12 V battery is just masking the symptoms.

[ford38v8]

Ole Bill, Electrical Resistance is your underlying problem. Before you go and do some dramatic "fix" as you propose, consider correcting the problem itself rather than "fixing" the symptom.

Resistance is the problem, and to rid your electrical system of this problem, you begin at the battery, following the paths of electricity through the circuits back to the battery again, cleaning and assuring an unimpeded flow of electrical current. Preventing future resistance at these points is accomplished simply by shielding the contacting surfaces from oxididation by the proper use of a dialectic grease, available at any auto supply. Also, of course, undersize cables and wires must be replaced with their 6v capable counterparts.

The gorilla in the room is the starter motor itself. Worn brushes, weak springs, armature wear, and mica interference being the main causes of resistance in starters, any competent motor repair shop can properly rebuild your starter in a matter of an hour or so. This step alone should rightly be considered part of all routine electrical system checkups, yet is so rarely done that it is likely that half of all 12v conversions have bad starters.

[rotorwrench]

The biggest problem with a band aid approach is two big batteries in a compartment made for one. Dual Optima 6-volt batteries could give 6 or 12 volt depending on how the power is siphoned off of them. That still might not fit the old battery box though. I'd just do as other folks suggeted and fix the current system.

Kerby

[ole_Bill]

C'mon guys, give me some credit. While I was building the car all the cables were replaced with the CORRECT size 6V cables. I am running an Optima 6V battery. All connections are clean and tight. The problem? The engine has about 2 hours running time on it since rebuild and it is still tight, as evidenced by the 40lbs of oil pressure at fast idle. Every engine part, except for block and crank, was purchased new (and as I assume you know, at great expense).

I bristle when I hear the terms "patch" and/or "band-aid" as tossed about by rotorwrench and oldford2. I don't do "band-aids" and I don't do "patches". I also don't see the 12V battery installation as a "fix". It is the installation of a redundant, back-up system which allows me, now and in the future, to forget about having a ready boost if I (or more likely, a Chevy owner) ever need it. The car was never intended to be a restoration and is being rebuilt properly and professionally, but to fit MY idea of what I want to drive on the street. You can be the purest if that's your thing, I'll be the pragmatist and we'll both enjoy our mutual hobby.

BTW, thanks to B-O-B, for providing the information I asked for.

[Straightpipes]

I converted my car to 12 volts. I had enough of that 6 volt business when I was a young guy trying to get to work at 20 below. I don't plan on taking it to a judging anytime soon......
I think many Fordbarners don't drive them in the frozen winter months. If I did'nt drive her year round it would set in the garage 8 months a year............So, I like 12 volts.

[oldford2]

Ol Bill,
O K, we know what you are trying to do and as you explain, it sounds like a plan. Now, if you had given all the background for your engine and experience, I think you would have had much more helpful input. If you go back and reread your initial post, I think you will see how many of us mis-interpreted your plan. I rebuilt a 40 221 last fall and a 59 a-b this spring. All new parts and they are both starting on 6 volts.
John

[ford38v8]

Ole Bill, You have a right to bristle if you want to, but as OldFord says, you coulda avoided the basic info lectures by giving us the basic info of where you're coming from. We don't do bristling as a hobby either.

[FlatheadTed]

here is a simple diagram e of the way I would do it a. I am working on a duel system were you can charge your 12 volt as well .Were you need 12 volt some times is when you get fuel drain back .and battery 6V exceasablty .Ted

[B-O-B]

Recently someone posted a schematic on how to add a 12V battery in the starting circuit of a 6V+ system. The 12V battery powered only the starter, used a seperate starter button and was not connected to the cars charging system. Could you please post the information again? I printed the original but have misplaced it. Thanks

All the man asked for was information on how to connect a 12v battery for starting his V8. I don't see where all this other ego BS helped him find the answer.

[Flat Ernie]

If you're not restoring it, there's money to be made by simply converting to 12V and being done with it once and for all.

[kraken]

Quite a while ago, Rumbleseat posted about adding a 12 volt battery. He ran the 12 volts thru an isolated starter button to the starter motor. That way, he had a full 6 volts to run the ignition, and 12 volts to turn the starter. If it did'nt start with the 6 volt button, he would use the 12 volt button. I love the idea just because I think it is a cool thing to hook up. I think he said he also used the 12 volt to run a 12 volt radio. Just had to charge the 12 volt a couple of times a year.

[rotorwrench]

If your going to use six volts for running then it would make more sense to use two 6-volt batteries. If you connect them in parallel its 6-volt but twice the cranking amp/hour capacity or you can relay one of them in series. This would give you a momentary HEAVY duty 12-volt shot for starting and you could still charge both batteries at 6-volts in parallel.

There is more than one way to skin the cat. I look at thing on a more practical stand point. with a 12-volt battery in there you are going to have to charge it somehow.

I use two heavy duty 12-volt batteries to start a 24-volt turbine powered helicopter but even with them connected in series you can still take 12-volts off one battery for starting the little 12-volt jobs just by the way you connect the leads. It's just basic elecricity guys.

Kerby