Wiring the 50 ford from 6v positive ground to 12v negative ground, everything is fine but i have one question? I have the runtz reducers to get the gauges down to 6v but do you still stick the signal wire to the gauge in the orignal signal wire spot or do you reverse the terminals. signal to old power and power to old signal? i have heard you do it this way.
The oil pressure, fuel level, and temperature gauges are not polarity specific, so you can actually connect them either way. Internally, there is a heating coil that bends a bimetallic strip when a voltage is applied. The strip then deflects the needle on the gauge. Since a heating coil gets hot regardless of the direction of the electricity, you are fine either way.
"Runtz" style voltage reducers are very easy to install. Basically you attach one end to one of the posts on the back of each gauge, one lead to a grounding screw, and the other end receives a wire from a switched 12V source. I made my own reducers and am installing them this week: if there is interest, I could post instructions on how to make them for about 3 bucks each.
If it has a voltage gauge the terminals will have to be reversed since it was originally positive ground.
I usually add an instrument cluster regulator to the instrument circuit. I goes between the fuse and the gauges. You'll find one of these screwed to the back of the instrument panel on any Ford product from 1960 to well into the 1980's. It's a little rectangle box with two terminals and a mounting tab. If you look them up in the electrical buyers guide the main difference between them is which terminals they use. The ICR will vary the voltage supply to the instruments from approx 3 to 8 volts, thats why the gauges in all those cars and trucks seemed to pulse.
im going to have to get that one i hooked up the runtz and only one works i tested and 2 of them dont feed any voltage i guess there blown out already.
ok tried that reducer and it is a no go there is not enough amp draw to get it down to 6 volts just hooking up 3 gauges. it is ment for heaters fans and such. back tot he drawing board.
Get an IC ...LM7806 ...........or equivalent..Radio Shack is one source mount it on a heat sink...a two inch long piece of square tubing will work Three leads 1. +12 Volts in 2. Ground 3. +6 Volts out Make sure to insulate the outside two from ground each one will handle 1 amp
There is a better way to have both 6V and 12V sources in the car. It does not include resistors. Get a battery with the bars on the top. The old ones were all made this way. Now, the bars a lead connectors between the (nominally) 2V cells. A 12V battery ahs six 2V cells in it. Drill into the bar in the middle of the battery, don't go all the way through. Tap teh hole fro a bolt. What you have now is a 6V tap. From the negative ground on the battery (or any grounded metal in the car) to the tap is 6V. You can do the same thing by taking two 6V batteries (if you can find them) and connecting the negative of one to the positive of the other to make a 12V battery with a 6V tap on the connecting strap.
i actually used this method today after searching here on the hamb and it worked perfectly. my only problem is the fuel sender doesnt put out the rite ohm tested when removed from the tank and the oil pressure gauge just is just dead.
The part didnt work at all i had it hooked up and the one side read 12v the supposed 6v side read 12v. but i did hook a lightbulb to the one side and it dropped a little more less than 12v , i suspect if you ran things at a higher amprage that product would work but for the gauges that i think are like a milliamp each it does nothing.
This is a pic of an instrument cluster regulator from a 79 Ford Pickup. This a pic of a page out of the Carquest buyers guide. Showing a 60's version of the Instument cluster regulator. Note that when Ford switched to 12 volt charging systems in 1955 they did not change the gauges just the polarity and added the ICR to the dash. They used 6 volt gauges right up into the electronic 90's. The ICR is not a voltage reducer but a regulator and out put voltage varys up and down between 3 and 8 volts, about every 2 seconds or so. If the pics don't show up the Carquest part # is VRC-603 That one has spade term****s for easy install.
most of the vrc's are discontinued and are obsolete parts, i searched at the autoparts store for those yesterday and the very few that are still in existance are over 40 dollars. the radioshack method is alot cheaper at less than 6 dollars .
My bad, I looked at my buyers guide and it's from 1998. Macs has it in their 2010 catalog......B9MZ-10804-C..for $24.95. Thats still more than 6 bucks but it's a very compact part. I've used the voltage reducing resistors before for making vr packs to run the dual blower motors and wiper motor in a 54 Plymouth. They were kind of bulky and had to have an insulated cover made up to prevent shorting the whole show. I guess theres always more than one way to skin a cat.
I have used the Ford gauge regulator in my 50 Ford, over 8 years, my 53 Stude, over 15 years and my 53 Ford only about two years. It works. Could be why Ford used it for its 6 volt gauges for years.
I am a newbie so please excuse my stupid questions. I have a 49 Dodge pilot house pick up truck which was originally a 6 volt system. Currently I have a 67 slant 6 cyl in it which is wired 12 volt. The starter and battery are the only things that are currently wired. The truck has the original gauges which are Speedo-oil-heat-amps and fuel. The original wiring is coming through the firewall. I would like to use the original gauges. My question is where do I start? Can I use the original wiring? I am not that well versed in electronics but with a little direction I can get by. Would it be best for me to start fresh with a new set of 12 volt gauges? Any advice is appreciated, Herr Otto
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