Feeling depressed.

I have been working on the hotrod all day with my 12 volt conversion.thought i got it licked but learnd that my coil might be a bigger problem then i thought.I have a 31 ford pickup that came with a v8-60.love the truck but feel the moter gives me more trouble than its worth.just want to be able to drive my hotrod.My question is sould i stick with the v8-60 or sould i put a different motor in the hotrod.bigger flathead or sbc wich is cheeper .thanks

 

Forget the cost and DON'T put a SBC in it. This is coming from the worlds biggest SBC fan Do a bigger flathead if you must but if you can get the v860 to do your bidding I'd leave it. If it takes a little longer to accomplish it will still be worth the effort.

Frank

 

So what did ya do? Share so we can work it out.

 

leave the v8-60 they are *****en! ive been thrashen on my ride for a while this weather is finally getting good.mebye ill run into ya around i live over the hill in damascus.

 

You need some medication and spell-check.

 

Don't give up the fight!!! Take a breather, do some reading and relaxing. Sometimes you need to step away to get a fresh perspective.

Flatman

 

We need to complete the 12 volt conversion process. So whats up with the coil, what did you try?

 

leave the v8-60!!! its still just an engine and will take just as much effort to sort out as any other. But, being that small.... and gas being so F!@#g expensive....what an economical vintage engine to have in your rod to make it unique.

 

your right on both accounts

 

So When you changed from pos ground to neg ground....Did you switch the wire going into the coil, with the one going away? If not, are you blowing black smoke yet? Do that, and get a 12 volt even if you have to go with a bolt on the side. Keep the ballast its important to maintain a constant voltage supply.

 

CONVERT YOUR 6-VOLT VEHICLE TO 12-VOLTS
This is one of the most rewarding gestures you can do for your favorite old car/truck and yourself, comparing time and money spent to amount of benefit gained.No more hard starting, hot or cold; no more dim, yellow (dangerous) headlights; no more accessories that aren't compatible.Instead, you have a new degree of serviceability, safety, and ease of operation. And, it can all be done in a couple of hours, inexpensively, and without any serious modification to originality! Read on. First, let's establish that, provided it's in good shape, your original wiring harness is more than up to the task. 6-volt systems carry twice the Amps of 12-volt systems, which means their wiring in considerably heavier than required. This is the perfect time, too, for Ford and GMC's to convert POS to NEG ground, for ease and conformity. Three little moves get that done: 1.Simply reverse the wires on the Ammeter. (The previous "In" will now be "Out" and vice-versa). 2.Also reverse the wires on the coil. 3.Finish by reversing the battery cables. POS will now go to the starter, and NEG will go to ground. Much benefit can be gained by moving "ground" from frame to a starter attachment bolt. Do This! (These three operations are done with the battery disconnected, of course!) Now, to the conversion itself and the (2) basic approaches: (1) with a 12V generator, or (2) with a 12V alternator, with internal regulator. We'll begin with the 12V generator approach.
Conversion with 12v Generator
This is an easy way that retains the originality you may be concerned with. Simply obtain a corresponding 12v generator (perhaps making some minor bracketing or mount change), or have the existing 6v generator converted by installing 12v field coils into the existing generator case. How could it be easier? (Along with original appearance, there is another distinct benefit to this approach, and that is, that a generator will charge a dead battery; an alternator will not! In fact, operating an alternator in a completely discharged system can damage the alternator, since it requires an electrical source to energize. It is true, of course, that any generator system will show "discharge" at idle, while an alternator does not. With the quick recovery of the generator system at "r's", however, only the most severe loads will overtax it. But, it's your decision.)
Conversion with an Alternator
This is probably the more widely used approach but some originality in appearance must be sacrificed. The minimal wiring changes are no big deal. Use a DA plug which allows discarding the old voltage regulator. Here, the "Batt" wire that went to the regulator is extended to the post of the alternator where it meets the red wire of the DA plug. Then, "heat" is picked up at some convenient "ignit" spot (the switch or the coil wire) and a wire run to the white DA wire. Presto! The old regulator and the "field" and "arm" wire of the harness are also eliminated. Very tidy. Here are the items and changes that will be needed, according to which procedure is adopted: 1.A 12-Volt battery. (Pick a size that fits the carrier.) 2.A 12-Volt regulator, (if using a generator) 3.A 12-Volt coil. 4.A fistful of corresponding 12v bulbs (dash, stop/tail, etc.), including headlights. 5.An ignition ballast resistor (NAPA p/n ICR-13), which will be installed in the wire from the ignition switch to the coil. (You've seen 'em on the firewall, like a '55 Ford.) 6.A voltage reducer for each accessory, such as radio, and/or heater (install it before the switch!). (NAPA/Echlin: VT6187) it's inexpensive. 7.Use Standard Ignition (VRC 604) for the gas gauge.
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As I stated in your other thread. Buy the simple replacement coil adapter and put a 12v coil on top of engine and your done. I have a 60 in my roadster, its on 6 volt. If I ever change to 12v, I will use this method.

 

were would i find this adapter?

 

The V8-60 isn't your problem the electrical system is. Can't help you, except to tell you what you know already, all the worlds problems are electrical. You can't learn electrical theory, you have to be born with it. Find an electrician before the thing burns to the ground.

 

Stock coil (runs with resistor at 4V) cannot be reversed any simple way...any old Ford parts place has the adaptor to take remote coil (Ford Germany used that setup stock), and that is the easy/cheap way. Stock coil can be rebuilt as 12V with whatever polarity...there are several people who slice these open and put in modern innards.

 

If you pull out that cool little engine and install a belly****on engine you will still have all the wiring issues to deal with. You won't gain a thing.

If you break down the wiring into separate circuits, you can see some progress as you move through the process. Pick one circuit like the starter circuit. Get it sorted out so that it will turn over every time you hit the ****on and then pat yourself on the back. Now with that jolt of confidence you can move on to the ignition circuit, the charging circuit etc. etc. Take it in steps. It won't feel so daunting. Solve one problem at a time and then move on making sure that you relish in what you have accomplished to date.

 

thanks all. had a chance to calm down and will look into the adapter kit sounds like a good fix. thank you all for you coments.

 

Keep trying, you'll get it figured out. Sit down, have a beer or soda and just look at your A pickup and smile knowing you will never see another one like it on the street when you do get it going. And keep the V-8 60, it's perfect for your truck.

 

Thats for sure, 20 years ago i was rewiring vintage cars on a regular basis using the books and diagrams and all went well. If i had to do one now i know i would be scratching my head for the first few days. (or longer )