Should I convert from 6 volts to 12 volts

[ford38v8]

I see your confusion. Go by the battery terminals only. Forget that they are connected differently in the other car. Positive to positive, negative to negative. Break the connection as soon as the engine fires.

[SoCal32]

Originally Posted by ford38v8

I see your confusion. Go by the battery terminals only. Forget that they are connected differently in the other car. Positive to positive, negative to negative. Break the connection as soon as the engine fires.

Thanks for the clarification

[40 Deluxe]

I remember in the early '50's Dad parking his '40 at the end of our 1/4 mile long driveway in the winter so it wouldn't get drifted in. When was -35 or lower he would carry a teakettle of boiling water with and pour it over the intake manifold. That's all it took for reliable starting on 6 volts.

[ford38v8]

Originally Posted by 40 Deluxe

I remember in the early '50's Dad parking his '40 at the end of our 1/4 mile long driveway in the winter so it wouldn't get drifted in. When was -35 or lower he would carry a teakettle of boiling water with and pour it over the intake manifold. That's all it took for reliable starting on 6 volts.

And I remember my father pouring hot water on the windshield to melt the ice. He pulled that little trick exactly one time only.

[tubman]

Positive to positive, negative to negative. It's pretty simple; you have to match the polarity, not the grounds. Needless to say, do not let the vehicles touch.

Another thread just popped up the says to jump directly to the starter lead to skip the rest of the system. That's a good idea; we weren't very sophisticated 65 years ago.

[slowforty]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

On the 12 volt accessory question, you can get an invertor that will allow you to use a cell phone charger .

[outsider347]

Changing my 40 to 12v right now

The change over is easy

ditching points for electronic

I use my car as a DD

Picture this:
Your the 2nd last car to leave the Cruze.
Dead battery for what ever reason
The other car has jumper cables. and he's 12v

yea yea I know it can br done, but make a mistake, and the lights are blown

Besides that, can't wait to be able to see my instruments at night

[tubman]

Originally Posted by outsider347

Changing my 40 to 12v right now

The change over is easy

ditching points for electronic

I use my car as a DD

Picture this:
Your the 2nd last car to leave the Cruze.
Dead battery for what ever reason
The other car has jumper cables. and he's 12v

yea yea I know it can br done, but make a mistake, and the lights are blown

Besides that, can't wait to be able to see my instruments at night

Not a problem if you have any knowledge of this stuff at all.

If all else fails, a push start works, too. Orient the car properly if there is a slope and get a couple of guys to push it or even "bump start" it if the grade is sufficient. And then there's always the crank.

Lots of options.

[Babyboomerboy]

Thanks for all the input. Is there a correct procedure to rewiring a car? Do you remove the dash? I have never replaced a wiring harness before. All I have done is spliced wires into the original harness. I know this is not acceptable in this case but the headlight cross over harness connects into the main harness and I'm not sure I am gaining anything by doing this. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Kens 36]

For your '50 Ford, if you buy from one of the reputable vendors, there is a main harness and MANY smaller harnesses.

For the main harness, about half goes under the hood and the other half goes under the dash. I always start by removing the old harness, noting the exact point where it passes through the firewall. Also note all of the wiring clips - you will need them for your new harness. Your camera is your friend. Under the dash, pay attention to where the old harness passes over the speedometer.

Your new harness should be clearly marked and color-coded, so you need to get the old one out of the way. Run your new harness from the inside to the outside, stopping at the correct point between the two sides.

The easiest part is connecting everything under the hood. Oil sender not a lot of fun, but the rest pretty straightforward. Under the dash will frazzle your nerves and strain your neck. Just take your time and it will go quicker than you think. Some people like to remove the front seat and use a pillow to support your head. Not bragging, but I once installed an entire main harness in my '50 Crestliner in one morning.

After the main harness is in place, now you can work on other harnesses. Parking light harnesses (2), headlight crossover harness, headlight and parking light bucket harnesses, etc., etc.

Good luck.

Ken

[52flthed]

Originally Posted by slowforty

On the 12 volt accessory question, you can get an invertor that will allow you to use a cell phone charger .

Yes, and if you already have a digital converted radio they are often set up to run 12v, even if the vehicle is still 6v, with a built in converter, so its only a matter of adding a USB connection to them and you can either use for USB memory sticks for 1,000's of songs and or use it to charge your cellphone. I have a USB port hidden inside the glovebox for this purpose.

[RalphG]

Originally Posted by SoCal32

Then I guess I'm not fully understanding the polarity issue which is why I asked the question. I understand the '47 is positive ground. If it's being jumped by another vehicle with a 12-volt negative ground, how are the cables attached. Is it positive to positive or swapped?

If you hook the 12 volt booster cables direct to the starter side of the solenoid it does not matter about polarity. The starter turns one way only and will do just fine on 12 volts. I've done it.

[FlatheadTed]

I have done this heaps as you say Polarity doesn't come into it ,

[Cecil/WV]

I have a '50 Ford that I have driven in 48 states and to 25 EFV8 National meets from WV in the last 20 yrs, and I did replace the harness and have never had another electrical problem! If it ain't broke, don't fix it!!