Posted by Dave Speed on Sunday, September 01, 2002 at 8:49PM :
In Reply to: 6 volt vs 12 volt posted by Junkyard dog on Sunday, September 01, 2002 at 7:54PM :
Several of my old vehicles have gone from 6v to 12v over the years and nothing ever burnt out, tho I admit they were not daily drivers. They did start much better in the winter tho.
I don't know about the outward appearance of the MOPAR 6v vs 12v gensets. They all look like black cylinders to me.
You'll need a ballast resistor for the coil to get a 12v start and taper back to 6v.
You'll need new bulbs, and the heater fan is a $100 motor replacement.
You'll need a little $10 unit in the back of the fuel switch to adjust - supplies a steady 7 volts to the fuel gauge IIRC.
The polarity change is no big deal either; I don't recall if it affects the ammeter polarity or not ...
Replacing the old cotton insulated wires is probably the *most* important task from a fire safety point of view. Take your time and go clear to the sockets; it is very doable. FWIW, I went with the original gauge wires specified for 6v with a 12v system "just in case" <grin>. And I added fuses.