6 volt to 8 volt conversion

[maldoran]

I have a 1938 IHC gypsy wagon camper on the site and have had so many headaches with hot starting and 6 volt. I was told that an 8 volt was a great improvement and not as expensive as a full 12 volt conversion. all I had to do was adjust the voltage regulator to 9.2 volts and I was all set. You can get a good 8 volt battery for around 85 dollars and the starter turns great. I am sure I will use bulbs a little quicker than I did, but what a trade off. This was a simple conversion, no resistors for gauges, very easy. I would recommend to all that are having problems with 6 volt. I have other vehicles and have never had any problems with the original 6 volt as long as all wiring and connections were maintained, this one however defied all logic. Any comments or questions on my project would be welcome too, it is listed under the bus barn, other vechicles, kevins gypsy wagon, thanks for the listing sharkey, I have receved alot of emails with great comments. kevin in CT

[Jones'n4chrome]

Kevin,

Good to hear from you. I really like your truck. Do you have any new photos of your truck?
I would like to invite you to become a member of the site, it is a fun place to hang out.
Your truck is so cool.

Here is a link to Kevin's truck.
http://www.mrsharkey.com/busbarn/kevin/kevin.htm

Chuck

[Mark R. Obtinario]

The old 6-volt IHC's were always hard starters for some reason.

My first boss was the head mechanic for a large construction company in Alaska during the '50's. They had a fleet of IHC trucks and one GMC shop truck.

They used the GMC to tow the 'binder's around the parking lot to compression start them.

I have found that the biggest problem with 6-volt starters is they just turn too slow. If it is cold and damp (under 45* and over 80% humidity) the gas actually falls out of suspension at the out ends of the intake manifold.

You probably found #1 and #6 plugs were usually gas fouled and #2 and #5 weren't much better.

To get my '51 IHC L-170 started I usually pull the plugs out and get them toasty warm. I then use a torch to heat the intake and the head until most of the moisture is warmed out of everything.

At that point (after making sure the battery is hot and ready to go) I put the plugs back in and she usually starts right up.

Fresh gas always helps as well. And try to avoid any gas that has ethanol added. The ethanol is hydroscopic and lowers the BTU and flash point of gas which makes the slow turning starter problem worse.

Turning the voltage up and usinig an 8-volt battery can help but getting rid of the moisture will do more to help if it has been a while since the last time the engine was started.

Happy trails.

Mark O.
Winlock, WA

[maldoarn]

hey thanks for the comments, i shoud join the site, it would make sense since sharkey has posted photos of my project. I also found that a tea pot of boiling water poured at the base of the carb in bitter cold weather helps atomize the fuel and makes a remarkable difference. thanks again, I will get some new photos posted. kevin in CT

[Dualfuel]

I suppose this discussion was inevitable here, as eventually inorder to have a super-cool house truck, you have to have one from a time when copper was cheap and 6 volts was the norm.
I hate six volt systems. My cure is to immediately put a 12volt battery in place. The six volt starter just spins like crazy and you get a fine hot spark with the 6volt coil running on 12volts. This usually frys things like bulbs, regulators, the ballast resister, and or the coil. BUT it gets the damn thing started and out of the hole its in.
I know, I know, its evil, heinous and not reccomended. But sometimes you don't have choices. Sometimes its time to GO! File the points, hang a five gallon can from the passenger side window, run a siphon down to the fuel line at the carb, shove in a hot battery, mash the starter, and you should be able to get moving, no matter what.
And if you think thats evil.....

[Dualfuel]

The really evil heinous, DANGEROUS way to start those crappy old six volt setups is to leave the ignition on, stand on the side of the engine with the rod for the foot starter, and use a stick to engage the starter from under the hood. When you are ready to do that, take off the oil bath air cleaner, so you are looking at just the carb. Now sprinkle just a bit of gas or ether down the airhorn. When you have your game on and are coordinated, you'll be able to spin the starter and LIGHT the gas with a lighter at the same time. This sucks the fire down into the engine while you are spinning the starter. The fire serves to get that intake warm, vaporize the gas in the intake runners, and if you get lucky, the engine becomes a fire licker, and starts.
The danger comes if you gave it too much gas and don't spin the starter. Then you have stick your hand over the air horn and snuff it FAST.
Please feel free to FLAME me on this, as I know its abhorrent.
DF

[rlaggren]

Whoa! Pretty impressive.

You musta REALLY not liked the guy you figured this for... Maybe that friend of your cousin from the city, going after your girl? <GG>

[dburt]

Alot of older tractors that use 6-volt starters got changed out to 8 volt systems to make them crank over faster and start better in cold weather. Then over the years it got cheaper/easier for some owners to change over to 12 volt and use a GM-style one wire alternator with a resistor in line to the distributor to keep the ignition system to the original 6 volts. The easiest is to use the 8 volt system, I have done it over the years to old cars, trucks and tractors. Alot depends on what your wallet will stand, and how much work you want to do.

[asavage]

Back in the '70s, I worked a shop that had a '53 GM 3100 flatbed as a shop truck, and I had to drive it a lot. It had an 8v battery as a patch for other problems. After a few months, I got sick & tired of changing out lamps that were always burning out.

I spent a weekend and cleaned up all the cables, connections, contacts. Went through the ignition system with new stuff, rebuilt the starter, and swapped in a nice, new 6v battery. Drove it for years without starting problems after that.

Yeah, it cost a couple hundred bux to get the starter rebuilt and a new battery, plus the labor and new cables, but IMO there's nothing inherently wrong with 6v systems. It's just twice the amps to do the same work as 12v systems, and any resistance points will heat up twice as hot twice as fast and give you trouble a lot sooner than if you were pushing half the amps with 12v. Solution: stay on top of the maintenance.

I've done loads of 12v conversions (including reworking a couple of 60's-era Delcotrons to be positive ground (scroll through the trash and pics to the last couple of paragraphs for more info on my positive-ground Delcotrons). IMO, the best reason for converting? To support modern appliances.

If the ignition is in good shape and it'll spin up to good speed, it'll start. Doesn't matter what voltage is driving it.