Posted by Henry Jacobs on December 24, 1998 at 12:43:34:
In Reply to: 12 volt conversion posted by Drew on December 23, 1998 at 23:06:47:
You must replace the coil with a 12v coil or use an in-line resistor. 12v coild are actually the same winding as 6v coils but with an internal resistor added. If you change coils, you should, in principle, get a set of points and condenser that match the coil you are using, however, the resistor is the critical thing - otherwise you burn your points up quickly.
You will need to replace all light bulbs sooner or later. They will not last very long with 12v. Headlights, dash lights, stop and tail lights. There are not many bulbs on a Power Wagon, however. The starter should be changed in principle, but in fact 6v starters work just fine - my truck has a 6v starter running under 12v and is very happy. I have heard that the same is true of generators, but I changed mine. The windings of a 6v starter and generator are different from those designed for 12v. The voltage regulator will need to be changed, however, to a 12v model. The ammeter could care less, but the fuel guage may fry, or not. The fuel guage fried on my 53 Chevy when I changed over - it never worked on my Power Wagon.
Finally, change the grounding from positive to negative to avoid problems with any accessories you may want to add later.
HLJ