Posted by NJ Nick on July 03, 1999 at 02:14:19:
In Reply to: Re: Info on 24 volt system conversions posted by NJ Nick on July 01, 1999 at 23:59:06:
Guys, I don't buy easy parts replacement or reliability. NOTHING is more reliable than military-designed 24 volt electrical gear..period. That's why its used. As for parts availability, Craig was talking about an M35A2, NOT a ford mustang. If you're gonna drive an army truck, you must face the small probability of finding parts at Pep Boys or your local gas station. Anyway, the original query was about converting an M35 to 12 volts..it said nothing about replacing military components with "more dependable and more available" civilian components. I took the question to mean that he had already decided to change to 12 volts, and I am curious about why anyone who understands automotive electrics would do that....We could make a list...lower price components, wide availability, etc..but my sense is that there is an underlying reason why some folks believe 12 volts to be superior to 24 volts..yet they will jump at the chance to convert a 6 volt system to 12 volts...If Power Wagons came with 12 volt systems in the beginning, instead of 6 volts, would everyone be trying to convert to 24 volts? There is no sound engineering reason I can think of to do this swap...except of course that if it's your truck, this is America, and you can do as you wish. I just don't see how changing to a starter system with half the energy is a good idea...especially on a big truck diesel like the M35A2. The system is one of the truck's best features! Comments anyone?